To Have A Home
by starryeyeddreamer19
Summary: Life was going great, wonderful even; at this rate he was going to be student body president by next year. He would finally be... content. There was nothing more he could ask for. Thankfully he didn't have to ask for her to enter his life.
1. Home

**A/N: **Heeeeeeey soooo yeah, I was playing p3p the other day for the fourth time when it dawned on me that there totally should have been a Hidetoshi ending option… so I searched for a something to read to try to satisfy my 'awww they coulda had a happily evah afterrrr' feelings that I am embarrassed to even admit I possess. Unfortunately I found none, so I guess this pairing isn't a big fan favorite. Don't get me wrong, I love love love akiXfemc (and don't totally hate her and shinji) but this is just my favorite. So I hope it doesn't suck too bad, I know it starts off slow… most of my things do. But it's orientation week in college so life around here is pretty slow too. That excuse doesn't even kinda sorta work but just go with it haha. DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ATLUS OR ANY CHARACTERS OR THIS TOTALLY AWESOME SONG FROM A VERY POTTER SEQUEL.

* * *

_Home,  
I've heard the word before,  
but it never meant much more  
than just a thing I've never had._

_-AVPS  
_

Briiiing- with a loud, an eardrum piercing, scream the mechanical box beside the classroom's speaker began to vibrate furiously indicating that afterschool programs were to be concluded. It was now almost evening and that meant that the school's janitorial staff would be coming in soon and god only knew they did not want any stray children roaming the halls. In fact, the school manual even stated that anyone in the building after six was no longer a responsibility of the school system and that they could not be held accountable for such person's actions. True it seemed a bit harsh, and somewhat rude considering it was their school too; but it was to avoid meaningless lawsuits that, although they would never amount to much, could truly hurt Gekkoukan's reputation. It was… understandable. Unfortunately it signaled that Hidetoshi would soon be returning to his house and, though he had quite a bit of homework assigned, the charcoal haired boy was not looking forward to residing in that building for the rest of the evening. In fact, he was even contemplating not returning tonight and, instead, calling up Keisuke to see if he wanted to do something. But that was no good, the former leader of the culture club was busy with his own life; his desire to someday become a magnificent doctor meant that he had to spend all his free time studying.

As he opened his mouth to dismiss the rest of student council, not that they really needed him to speak for they had all begun packing up quite a few minutes before the bell rang- slackers, the door to the classroom burst open and their president swiftly entered, a curious face following behind her. Now it was one thing for their 'fearless leader' to be late, but to barge in at the very end with what; a stray puppy? Their room was strictly off-limits to the general public. And who was this girl? He had certainly never seen her around before and the Odagiri boy made it his job to keep tabs on all the students at their High School. Unless… she had to be the new transfer student whose file he had seen on the P.E. teacher's desk. Now what exactly was her name again? Oh well, as long as she did not cause trouble he doubted that he would ever need to converse with her. Besides, it was not exactly as if he jumped on the chance to have a dull conversation with a positively lackluster girl; no thanks, someone always got hurt in relationships so it was far better to remain aloof. "Now I know that you're all itching to leave but first let me introduce Minako. She'll be joining us in student council."

Pardon? He was not aware that being in charge of a group, with multiple elected members with nearly equal power of authority, meant that she could just add students willy-nilly. Who did Mitsuru think she was? Sure her father was the reason they had a school in the first place but really! Talk about an abuse of power; and he despised people like that. Everyone pried on those with less than them, it was just the way life was; but he never would have thought that their leader would sink so low. "Minako-kun, huh…" He repeated darkly, eyeing the long scarlet haired girl whom he had previously admired. Not that he feared this newbie at all, what could she possibly bring to the table that he could not, but she was, never-the-less, competition for next year's seat as president. But upfront aggression would get him no place in the world. Instead he would quietly steam until either the problem dissolved or he found a way to take care of it. Whatever, this girl was nothing and he would not allow her to make anything of herself so long as he was working on becoming number one. "I'm Hidetoshi Odagiri. I supervise the Disciplinary Committee." And don't you forget it.

The next to speak up was their mousy looking teammate. Pushing her glasses back up her nose, Hidetoshi had observed that they had quite a nasty habit of slipping down when she stared at something lower than eye level, she uttered a weak introduction. "I'm Chihiro Fushimi, the Treasurer." How she ever came across that position was certainly a mystery. Hell, he doubted that, if polled, even ten percent of the student body would be able to say they had heard of her. Perhaps no one else had run for that spot? Treasurer certainly was a monotonous role; but who knows, perhaps she was into numbers and such? "I'm a sophomore, and um… I'm still learning the ropes, so… please be patient with me, Minako-san." It took all the willpower he could muster not to scoff at that. 'I'm still learning the ropes', please! She had been at every meeting since the very start of school while this girl had waited around until May twenty-seventh to bother joining up. So what if Mitsuru had invited her; this Minako character had never put forth the initiative to even bother doing anything to help the school. In fact, he bet she wasted her time eating ramen and talking with old bookstore owners about plants; or some other nonsense like that.

As if on cue the petite girl opened her pursed lips to reveal a bright smile that was positively nauseating. "Nice to meet you all." Oh yes it must be just wonderful to meet an already formed group, consisting of people who actually had to work to get where they were today, while knowing that you just got a free pass in. The crimson haired girl had that oblivious look, as if she had no idea that she had done anything wrong. Surely he could not be the only one who was upset by all of this; someone else had to have realized the lack of reason in Mitsuru's actions. Or maybe everything in life came easily to this girl. She probably made friends with everyone she met, including outsiders and dark mysterious bad boys who secretly had good hearts and really loved to cook. The Odagiri boy was taken a bit aback though when he felt two scarlet orbs gazing at him. It hit like a truck when he realized, much to his embarrassment, that he had been staring at the object of his frustration. She continued to gaze expectantly though, as if she was hanging on some unspoken words. Crud, she better not have gotten the wrong idea. He was not into girls, he was into success.

"…" What was there he could possibly say to make the situation any less uncomfortable? Oh, of course, Minako was female therefore a compliment would work well. Yes, women certainly did respond positively to even the slightest bits of flattery. It really was disgraceful; he would never be so conceited as to fall for such mind games. "…You must be talented if the President hand-picked you." But she merely shook her head a bit; way to put on the modest hero act. Sure it was a nice alternative to the 'I knooooow riiight?' he had been expecting to hear, but she was still not off his hate list. Outstretching a single hand he offered it to her to seal the deal. "Nice to meet you." With another cheerful smile she firmly shook it, a bit too firmly for a normal high school girl. Did she play lacrosse, or maybe hockey? As much as he simply wanted to brush off the girl's existence he could not help but want to learn more. Of course it was purely for the purpose of bringing her down should she choose to fight for the position as president next year; anything else would be ridiculous, right?

His loud, and clearly aggravated, sigh was drowned out by the Kirijo heiress' latest speech. "From now on, you have my permission to enter the Student Council Room whenever you need to." When would she need to come in; it was not as if Mitsuru actually expected her to work with them. Maybe the girl was going to use it as a place to skip class; ha, as if he would let such a horrid thing happen. This room was sacred and no transfer student would ever be welcome until they proved themselves to him. "That includes after school, too." Oh no, she didn't mean… there was no way that their president was going to invite her to… "The Student Council meets on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. We don't meet on days before tests." Ugh how infuriating! They were such an elite group, why on earth was she letting in some random third-year? Not that he believed in witchcraft or anything, but it certainly seemed as if his senpai's vision had been obscured, for this lack of judgment was completely out of character. Just what did she see in this girl that he did not? "Thank you, Minako, for joining us today."

As much as Hidetoshi wanted to bring up the point that there was no 'us' he decided it was best to hold his tongue. Sure their president was never around, but picking a fight with her was as good as giving up his quest for power. As the Vice-President, who had been unusually quiet during all this, and Chihiro followed their leader out the door he turned his back to the new girl and proceeded with the task he had been preforming before Mitsuru burst in: erasing the blackboard. "Might I be of some assistance Odagiri-san?" The girl inquired as she took a few steps closer and reached for the second eraser. But, before her fingers could latch onto it, the charcoal haired boy swept it up with his free hand and tossed it to the back of the classroom. Thankfully it hit a white wall and fell into the trash, otherwise the janitorial staff would not have been pleased with him, but, unfortunately, it was also extremely impolite of him. However he did not realize exactly how childish his actions were until the girl behind him let out a light, almost songbird like, laugh. "Alright, I get it. No problem, really. I'll see you on Friday."

xx

"I'll see you on Friday." He mocked, his voice straining to reach a more feminine pitch. She better hope she somehow got there before him; considering he was always first to arrive to the Student Council room he planned on locking this new girl out. How arrogant she was! It was only their first meeting and she thought she could brownnose him into what, adoring her like Mitsuru? The very notion was an insult to his intelligence. Unless, that is, she actually wanted to help him clean up after the meeting. What if, just what if, she could bring something to the table. Their president had never been one to miscalculate so that meant this Minako must be, like he said in jest, talented. Though unsure of exactly what field her 'talent' lay in perhaps he should not have been so easy to judge her. But it was a fierce world out there and if he did not suspect everyone then he left himself open to an attack. If he could just figure out the mystery connecting Mitsuru and this Minako girl then he was positive that it would all make sense but that was- His thoughts were cut off by a loud shriek of delight.

Dark hues rocketing upwards he caught sight of the shrine's playground, filled with children chasing one another and having their own adventures on the jungle gym. There was something about kids that he simply could not stand. They were just so happy, so content all the time; even when something terrible had occurred in their lives. Was it their blissful ignorance that he despised or, perhaps, was even slightly envious of? You could scold a child and ten minutes later they would be running up to you, pleading for you to play with them, whereas adults could hold grudges for years. Hidetoshi could not help but wonder just how much easier everything would be if people never grew up, if they remained the free-spirited individuals they were born to be. But if everyone was a child their society would fall for nothing could be accomplished. Children could barely tie their own shoelaces, how on earth would they run a government? These were all trivial thoughts though; what he should be focusing his attention on was the latest History assignment, ten ever so delightful pages on the fall of the ambitious Julius Caesar. How did he even get on the topic of a children-run world anyway? One thing was for certain, he needed to start getting more sleep.

As he continued past the shrine the child from before let out yet another shriek; however this one was a bloodcurdling screech of pain. She appeared to have skinned her knee after jumping off of a moving swing. Well honestly now, what did she expect would happen? The tiny girl continued to wait and cling to her wound and, as much as he just wanted to return home, he could not help but feel a tad guilty. He had been watching her when she was injured so, therefore, it was only right that hen assisted the fallen child. With a loud and over the top obnoxious groan he hurried up the steps, over the woodchips, and bent down next to the brunette. "Where does it hurt?" The arrogant student inquired as he brushed off some of the dirt sticking to her leg. With a sniffle she pointed to a pink spot just below her knee. Alright, so it was not bleeding; but chances were her shin was going to turn into a massive bruise by the next morning. Unfortunately there was nothing more he could really do for her… but children were somewhat simple minded so, perhaps, he could help her.

"You know what would make this better?" The Odagiri boy asked with a single raised eyebrow to which she responded with a quick shake of the head. Apparently she was too busy overdosing on tears to bother actually looking at him; but whatever, it was easier this way. As soon as people made eye contact with him he could not help but feel a tad uncomfortable. People in general were not worth the effort, so he never really bothered to master even the most basic social skills. However he was constantly watching interactions of all sorts so, for now, he could fake it. "Some takoyaki of course." His voice dropped to a whisper as he glanced around the shrine which was now nearly empty. "Don't tell anyone but it has magical healing attributes." At this she removed her hands form her face an gazed in awe at the clearly lying boy. "Some why don't we go get some? My treat of course." Where were this girl's parents anyway? It was almost night time and here was this child who had to be in second grade, tops. If this was one of those 'mommy will be right back and then she never comes back' situations he was going to be beyond ticked off. Not only would it be horrible for such a young girl to be abandoned, but he would also be stuck with her considering he would go to hell if he just left her out here.

Springing up from her spot on the ground the girl in the navy jacket dashed across the play area and grabbed a red backpack that had been carelessly thrown under the bench. "My name is Maiko!" The brown eyed girl stated happily as she grabbed his hand and pulled Hidetoshi up. "Normally I'm not supposed to go with strangers but takoyaki is my most favorite food on the planet, seriously!" Well now, she would be easy to abduct, wouldn't she? Instead of 'come with me kid, I have candy' someone just had to offer to buy her some takoyaki from the store down the road; oh, life. As he brushed off his school pants, noting that they now had light dust stains on their knees, the supervisor of the disciplinary committee could not help but wonder what he had just gotten himself into. "You know I've seen you before." Maiko continued as she hurried down the steps of the shrine. "Yup, you walk by every day." Her face fell a bit though, as if she was concentrating on something. "You look too serious though, just like my dad. Mom says he needs to lighten up…" She trailed off sadly as she fiddled with one of her braids.

Great, someone else with father issue; was there no one in this town with a nice, average, home life? "Freeze!" His harsh voice cut through the air and Maiko instantly froze, head turning slowly and eyes wide in shock; he certainly was the king of subtle. "I'm sorry but," Putting a hand to his head Hidetoshi lightly rubbed his temple, how was he going to explain this to her. "Takoyaki, no matter how good or magical it might be, is not worth you getting hurt." A giant question mark made its way onto her face and it was clear that he was going to have to go into better detail. "How do you know that I'm not a bad person? What if I wanted to hurt you or steal you?" Running a hand through his slick backed hair he gave the girl a light shrug. "I might be a kidnapper; and here you are, just jumping to go someplace with me." Half of him expected her to get freaked out and run off but, instead, she remained where she was, finger pressed lightly against her puckered childish lips. Then she did something that actually caught him off guard. She laughed.

"You're not a bad guy!" The tiny girl exclaimed as she hurried back and grabbed his hand, pulling him onward. "I fell and you came to the rescue." Not exactly, more like he was obliged to help. But it seemed inconsiderate to tell her that now. "If anything you're a hero silly. So don't go trying to play the villain, alright?" Someone needed to stop watching so much television, or perhaps pick up an actual book rather than an idiotic comic. The world was not made up of heroes and villains; there were many shades of grey. It was not as if there could really be a save the world situation. There was no single force of truth fighting against the darkness; that was ridiculous. "But, if you want, I'll ask people from now on." Ask? Surely Maiko did not mean that she was going to ask every person that talked to her whether or not they were a bad guy. Not only would that make her seem insane, but what sort of person would say 'yes, I am a bad person'? If anything the serial killers would tell her that they were a wonderful person and that she did not have to worry her pretty little head about it.

For the remainder of the walk Maiko talked a mile a minute about everything under the sun and, by the time they got there, he felt as though he needed an aspirin. But how glorious, Hidetoshi now knew all about the social aspects of elementary school and what a bother cram school was. The latter could be expected though, what child wanted to spend their Sundays studying? Even he had not been that determined to have high marks. Of course, it was by her parents' request that she attended it. Her home life appeared to be quite unsettling from the bits and pieces she had mentioned about it; but he had no desire to press the matter further. "One please." He said to the woman behind the counter at Octopia as he handed her the payment. It was not exactly an appealing food to him, but Keisuke always spoke highly of it when they were trying to figure out where to go for dinner. Sliding down next to the girl, who had taken a seat on the bench out front and was now eagerly swinging her feet back and forth, he handed her the food which he prayed to god was not really made of octopus.

"You're not going to have any?" She asked as she fidgeted nervously, picking at the steaming takoyaki. He merely shook his head; there was no way he was going to put that disgusting massacred aquatic creature in his mouth. Just thinking about the long, suction covered, tentacles on an octopus being mutilated into a child's snack was enough to make him gag. But if it made her happy then he would hold his tongue and merely keep her company. Crossing his arms over his chest Hidetoshi allowed his mind to wander a bit back to what had happened at Student Council. A long crease made its way onto his brow as he tried to figure out just what he had been so upset about less than an hour before. Oh yes, that new girl Mitsuru had invited to join them. What was the deal with that anyway? Did she think that they were not doing a good enough job overlooking the student body on their own? Were they really so bad that she had to bring in outside help? "Are you alright Mister? You look down." Maiko mentioned through large bites. She had already devoured half and was eagerly sinking her teeth into the rest.

Mister? Are you serious, he had really forgotten to introduce himself? The charcoal haired boy mentally slapped himself for being so stupid. "My name is Hidetoshi, Hidetoshi Odagiri." Removing a silk handkerchief from the confines of his trousers' pocket he offered it up to the girl. "There's a little something on your face." If that wasn't the understatement of the year he did not know what was. Why were children always so messy? It was positively disgusting. But she just smiled and slammed the fabric on her face, swirling it around in a very unladylike manner. "But yes, there is something on my mind. Perhaps you can assist me with it Maiko-chan." In the hopes of being helpful she sat up straight and opened her eyes wide to stare at the older boy. "I'm in Stu-…a club at school and the head of our club added a new member without asking anyone. It's completely ridiculous- err, silly, for her to expect us to just accept this new member with welcome arms, right?" He sighed once more, a dreadfully annoying habit he had come to possess, though this time it was more out of mental fatigue then it was spite or anger.

The energetic girl shook her head back and forth with such velocity he feared it may come flying off. "No no no!" Good, she saw it his way; but of course she would, his logic was never faulty. There was no way that he could have possibly gone about this whole Minako situation the wrong way, he was too clever for that. "If your leader added a new member it must be because they think he can help you. It's a good thing!" She exclaimed as she took another enormous bite of her takoyaki. What, a good thing? Surely she had to be mistaken, there was no way that having another person around could be beneficial to him… or could it? An extra body might actually not be so bad, come to think of it. She could file his papers, straighten up after meeting; Mitsuru never said that they had to listen to this newbie's opinion. Perhaps she could be his own personal secretary or, at least, be the entire council's helper. Yes, that had to be his leader's reason of adding her to their party. She must have seen how well they were operating and decided to give them an assistant so that they would not have to waste their time with the less important tasks.

To think, it took a child to get him to see the truth that had been staring him in the face all along. Minako was not a threat; she was a subordinate that he could use to rising through the ranks. It all made sense now, how foolish he had been earlier. Oh and she even asked him if she could help clean the board! The crimson eyed girl knew that she was supposed to help out with the lesser duties and had tried to get to work right off the bat. How embarrassing that he had snapped and sent her away. "You're such a clever girl." Hidetoshi mumbled, almost happily, through his constantly frowning face. As he gently patted the girl's head he questioned why he had ever thought such terrible things about children. They could be quite wise, when circumstances permitted it. And, though he never wanted to actually have any of his own, he could see where people who wanted desperately to be parents were coming from. Yes; if, god forbid, he ever did happen to have a child of his own… he hoped they would be a lot like Maiko. Except he would teach them to not agree to get food with random strangers they met at the playground.

"Oh shoot I have to be home soon!" His miniature companion screamed, as if the sun disappearing behind the skyline meant that she was going to turn into a pumpkin any second. That was not right, the carriage turned into a pumpkin, right? Then what did the girl turn into? Even in his youth Hidetoshi had never been particularly fond of fairytales. They were not rational; there was no princess in a tower, no gallant prince on a trusty steed, and certainly none of that true love mush. They only existed to get little girl's hopes up and lead young boys to believe that they had to be this white knight figure if they ever wanted to get a happy ending. It was all worthless in this day and age; but it certainly was comical to see the girl dash back and forth between the bench and the trash. As she scooped up her backpack Maiko gave the older boy a hurried hug before turning on her heels and taking off down the road. "Thank you very much Odagiri-san!" She called, offering up yet another bright smile and gigantic wave, before she dashed across the street and towards the residential area. Before he could stop himself the cocky boy found himself waving back and, although it was only a small wave, he quickly scolded himself for such behavior. People were a burden, there were no exceptions.

xx

In the time it took his brain to process what had happened the boy was already standing outside his front door. As much as he needed to go in and get to work he simply could not bring himself to reach for the doorknob. The whole run in with Maiko had taken up a good portion of the late afternoon, not to mention the early evening, so the frustrated teenager was going to have to move at twice his usual pace. One could only hope that his efficacy did not suffer due to his lack of extra time. Of course the paper was not due until Friday but that was hardly the point. He needed to have his first draft finished by tonight so that he could revise it during study hall tomorrow and fix it when he got home. There just were not enough hours in the day. Maybe he could accomplish all his given tasks if he had, say, thirty hours every day to get things done. But, alas, there were only twenty four and, if at all possible, he liked to get at least seven hours of sleep. Health officials said that six hours was the bare minimum to feel slightly rejuvenated and anything more than eight was too much and could hurt more than it helped. So, just to be on the safe side, he chose to remain snuggly in the middle.

"I'm here." Rather than calling it out so that his mother could come running the boy merely whispered it as he slipped off his school shoes. With any luck he could just tiptoe up to his room unnoticed; if he stayed down here for too long he was sure to be noticed. The only difficult part would be getting by the kitchen since it came off of the main hallway which, unfortunately, was also where the stairs was located. As he progressed further into the house an almost pleasant aroma filled his senses. It seemed as though she had been baking again, sugar cookies by the scent; not that he was into sweets mind you, that was childish, but he might have one if there were leftovers. However her baking could only mean one thing, she had been visiting that man again. There was no reason for her to waste her time on such a miserable person. He lacked power and therefore had been preyed upon by the stronger, it would be best for everyone if she just moved on. But no, no she had some childish vision of love and grandeur keeping her from seeing the reality of the situation.

His concentration was broken however by a young woman's joyful greeting "Hideee-chaaaan!" She called as she ran over, long dark locks pulled up into a messy bun on the back of her head. Though he was now a good foot taller than the woman she still managed to crush him with her powerful hug; which, it should be noted, he thought was extremely absurd considering he was now a young man but was too much of a good son to actually bring that fact up. "I was so worried when you didn't come home after school!" Oh Christ, not again. Every time he stayed out a little bit later, though today it had actually become quite late, she had a miniature heart attack. Just because his father was not wise to the world did not mean that Hidetoshi was oblivious to how corrupt the society they lived in was. He would never be caught messing around in anything dangerous, so there really was no reason for her to worry. Still, he could not help but fell a tad guilty as he stared down at his now teary eyed mother. There was a saying he had heard once at school from a teacher scolding a student; what was it again? Oh, right, act your age not your shoe size. Sometimes he felt as though he were the single parent and his sweet little mother was no older than Maiko, perhaps that was why he had bothered to help her out.

"Sorry, I was helping a girl-" His mother's ears picked up at this and her pout turned into a wide smile. Wrong wording, she probably thought that he had been on a date or something like that. Really now, just what sort of person did she take him for? He had responsibilities, aspirations for the future, and a very hectic schedule. If, heaven forbid, he did ever begin to 'date' someone it would be purely for public relations; like if, for example, he was running for a government office. Family men always did better than single guys in the polls, everyone knew that. "A little girl." He continued and his mother's smile quickly faded, much to his amusement. "She fell in the playground by the shrine and, since her parents weren't around I decided to help out." It was not so much as he wanted his good deed acknowledged as it was he wanted her to know that he was behaving himself and not getting mixed up in any gang stuff. The woman gave an understanding nod and retired to the kitchen once more, probably going to heat up dinner or something. Thankfully he never had to worry about her going without eating simply because he had not arrived home yet. She ate at six o'clock sharp every day and he would normally have the same meal several hours later in his room, pouring over the latest chapter in his geography book or something.

A few moments later she returned with a plate of broccoli and some form of meat which he was going to avoid considering her cooking skills were slightly less than astounding. "Thank you mother, this looks delicious." A little white lie every now and then did not hurt anyone; to the contrary, it had made her extremely happy. So, in a way, it was justified. When in doubt find the justice within the act. As horrific as that book had turned out to be Battle Royale certainly did have some powerful quotes. "Now, if you don't mind, I have a paper to write." Brushing past the woman he continued down the hall and, finally, up the stairs to his room, second on the left. Behind the average wooden door was a plain room, hardly what anyone would expect for a high school student. There was a bed decorated in a cream colored bedspread, positioned vertically in the left corner, a wooden desk covered in all sorts of books and folders, a matching chair, his cobalt laptop, and a good sized television that he had never actually turned on. In fact, that useless set was not even plugged in. He had very little free time as is, so watching mindless programs was out of the question; not to mention that everything important he needed to know he read in the morning paper.

Leaving the plate on the far end of the desk Hidetoshi got right to work. He had always been a man of action, and now was no different. Fingers flying over the keyboard sentence after sentence came pouring out, as if he had been planning word for word what he was going to write all day long and had recited it in his head so many times it was now second nature. That, of course, was because that was exactly what he had done. Earlier, in study, he took it upon himself to draw up an outline for his research paper and had been mentally exploring the capabilities of each paragraph. Sure it sounded boring, but by now it had become an everyday task. It was so much easier to sit down and write when you knew what is was you wanted to say. Within no time he was on page three and he had not even begun to run out of topic starters. Just wait until his teacher saw this, he would have to recognize the Odagiri boy then; soon he would be appreciated for the brilliant mind he possessed. And his classmates, well they would be forced to respect him of course.

After a while it became a task for his eyes to stay open and that was definitely not a good sign. If he continued to work then his body would suffer, and that would affect how fast he could process things and would also take a toll on his grades. But, if he went to bed now, he would leave his paper incomplete. Only being on page number seven he still had three to go before he could truly rest. Though his eyelids were just so heavy… no, he had to stay awake. His work came first and he had made a promise to himself that he would finish this first draft by tonight. In his pocket a small alarm went off from his cell phone, signaling that it was time for him to get ready to bed. Living life on a schedule was a wonderful idea, he had learned it from his mother, but at times, like now, it only gave him a headache. Alright, fine, he would call it a night and finish up his writing in study hall. Then he could correct it directly after school, perhaps in the library, and then he would not be so far behind when he returned home again. Cursing himself for allowing that little girl to distract him the silently fuming boy closed his laptop and began to get ready for bed.

xx

By the time Friday afternoon rolled around the arrogant boy felt as if he was going to pass out. He had been so worried about his paper Wednesday night that he could not get to sleep for ages and, instead, had spent countless hours staring at the ceiling until his alarm clock rung for him to get up. School had been no better for, during study, his brain function was so low that he only managed to type a page and a half, none of which was coherent so he had to-do it all later in the library. Thankfully that place seemed to be deserted due to some rumor floating around about the girl that worked there. Apparently she was a 'boyfriend stealer' or something? Whatever, as long as it was quiet and he could remain undisturbed he was perfectly content. It took ages to check and edit it but, after much work, he constructed a suitable report. However, his lack of sleep from the previous night caused him to oversleep and, considering it was terribly silly looking to run to school, he missed most of first period and got scolded by his homeroom teacher; what a lovely man their P.E. teacher was.

But he had been on time to second period and could proudly turn in his paper to their less than interested instructor. So, after much struggle to stay awake during the rest of the school day he was more than thrilled when the bell to end school rang. He was so ecstatic even that he had been all set to walk out the door and head home early when an eerily familiar voice called out from behind him. "Odagiri-san!" Crud, it was Friday wasn't it? _See you Friday_. Now he had never missed a meeting of Student Council but, by this point, he was almost willing to risk his perfect attendance record in order to get some rest. The only thing standing in his way was the scarlet haired girl who was hurrying towards him with an 'I love life' smile. What was it about girls? Every single one he talked to was over the top happy these days. Thank god he was male and, therefore, had some common sense. "Are you headed to Student Council? We can walk together." She offered and he had to resist the urge to tell her to scram. She was like their club's loyal little assistant, just what sort of superior would he be if he told her to get lost when she was only trying to do her job? With a weak nod he decided that fine, he would attend today's meeting.

"Are you always this enthusiastic?" The girl beside him inquired with a carefree grin. What was the matter with her? Was she bind, or just plain stupid? There was no way that he was even remotely excited for today's meeting- ohhhh, sarcasm, nice. Hidetoshi had previously believed it to be beyond the capabilities of his classmates; but, apparently, that was only true with the majority and not this girl. Splendid, he might actually have found someone worth joking with, however that was only if cynicism and mockery were up her alley, and not just a one-time thing. Glancing around the hallway he noted a few students scattered here and there, some were looking at bulletin boards while others chatted about personal issues, and could not help but feel a tad annoyed. Had they nothing better to do with their time then just stand there? Certainly they could find something more productive; perhaps they could join a cultural club or sports team. Not that he had ever been one for sports mind you, although he did have a healthy relationship with the physical education teacher, but having children hanging around after school with nothing to do was just asking for trouble.

Walking in to their designated room it appeared as though they were the first ones there; not that it was something new for him, he was always first in and last out, but why was Minako putting in so much effort right from the get-go? Normally clubs, and new social environments in general, took some time to become adjusted to. But here she was, ready and rearing to go, it showed a lot of ambition; and there was nothing Hidetoshi loved more than a motivated spirit. If the other members of the club had been as dedicated from the start who knows what else they might have accomplished. To think, all the time he wasted alone in the room while if the entire team had been there they could have been working on some new project. Perhaps he had been too quick to judge the new girl; she did not seem so horrible. Of course that did not mean, by any stretch of the imagination, that he enjoyed her company. However, if she kept up the good work, that might be a change he would consider making. Hell, when he first met Keisuke he despised every bone in his body. But now he was the closest thing the egotistical boy had to a real friend.

In due time the other members of the council assembled and their meeting began. Chihiro reported about some budget cuts that would affect the amount of printer paper, but that was no surprise the same thing had happened last year and the year before that. This entire thing could be resolved by removing the printer from the library and only keeping the one in the faculty office. Students were always using it to print out things that they could be doing at home but were too lazy to actually do homework once they returned to their own goddamn houses. And now? They were going to run out of papers before mid-years at this rate and that meant that the teachers would have to provide it for their classes; and, although paper had never been that expensive, a teacher's salary was not exactly something to be envious of. The boy with slicked back hair, that he felt made him look much more official, was about to clear his throat and suggest removing the printer when the crimson eyed girl beat him to it. "Pardon me." She started, causing the glasses wearing girl to shrink back out of shyness. "But what if, perhaps, we started charging students ten cents to print in the library, fifteen if they want something in color. That would make cover the cost of a sheet of paper and the tiny bit of ink with some left over. We might actually make a profit." Brilliant, just… brilliant. He was merely going to suggest having it removed, but her solution allowed the students to still be able to use it while also making money for the school. For a second his smirk actually faltered; she wasn't that bad, not at all.

A vote did not even need to be taken, everyone was clearly in agreement that this was, by far, the best solution to Gekkoukan's problem; he was only a bit embarrassed that he had not thought of it first. However the point was not who the idea came from, but rather the idea itself. It was wonderful and could even end up supplying pencils, since just about everyone seemed to forget a writing utensil when it came time to take a quiz or test, for next semester if all went well. As Chihiro and the vice president went off to inform the principal of their decision he specifically hung back. Normally he would want to dash in there, throw open the door, and loudly state the solution so that he could get the recognition he deserved; but it wasn't his idea, and he had something more important on his mind. As he turned around from his papers he noticed the new girl following after the others. "Minako, could you please stay here for a moment?" It came out sounding a bit more like a demand than a question, but that was just how he was. If she didn't like it she could go ahead and quit now because he sure as hell wasn't about to change. "I'd like to hear your opinion on something. It's nothing serious, but…" It might not have been seriously important, but it was certainly seriously annoying. "Some students feel the school uniform should be abolished, and they're recruiting supporters…"

"How pointless." Oh? Well that was definitely not what he had been expecting her to say. Especially not when she had been promoting helping her classmates only minutes before… unless, could she just have suggested that to help the school at the expense of the student body? That was low, inconsiderate, and exactly what he would do. The blazing determination in her eyes was enough to inspire even the most apathetic of people and he was beyond pleased that she had, unknowingly, agreed with him before he even finished his sentence. Yes, he took back everything he thought before; the Student Council could use more people like Minako on it, more people who agreed with him. He really wasn't that hard of a person to get along with, people just needed to be open to doing things a new way- his way. The school would be a far better place if everyone thought the same; and his beliefs were as good as any. The dark eyed boy would definitely consider keeping her on the team next year when he was student body president. A somewhat relaxed expression made its way onto his normally wrinkled brow for a moment before his arrogant grin appeared once more, and Hidetoshi merely nodded.

"You're right about that." By far it was the most satisfying response that he could have expected. The fact that she was so similar to him meant that there was a chance for his generation after all. "They think life without rules is freedom. It's ridiculous, plain and simple." He exhaled the breath he didn't know he was holding before continuing. "Without rules, the whole system will collapse. They're mistaking selfishness for freedom." Rules were the very foundation of their society. Sure some were imperfect, but you just had to adjust your life, and the type of person you were, accordingly. Humans have always had a wonderful ability to adapt so, with a little effort here and there, anyone could flourish in any given circumstance. "…Sorry, I may have overreacted." Or underreacted, but that was beside the point. "I hate people with no common sense. Sometimes, I can't believe the things that come out of their mouths." His classmate's face faltered for a second before regaining its normally sweet smile. "I don't mean you, of course. I just want you to know where I'm coming from." Normally he wouldn't have gone into such great detail but, strangely enough, she seemed like a trustworthy person.

The light from the window was slowly beginning to fade and that meant the bell would be ringing soon. Crud, he still had a lot that he wanted to get done today but his rant had used up so much valuable time. He really had to get a filter or something; it seemed that once he started to truly ponder a given topic there was no way to stop. "Why don't you head home, Minako-kun? I'll finish up here." Truthfully he just did not want her there to see what was going to have to occur if he wanted to stay on schedule. Writing at the speed of light, dashing around the room to file papers, cleaning the chalkboard, and straightening up was not exactly the coolest thing a high school boy could be caught doing. If word got out that he had become a maid like figure then his pride would take a serious beating, and heaven knows he had more pride than the rest of the island's citizens put together. With an understanding bow the girl gathered up her books and headed towards the door for the second time that afternoon. "…Take care."

* * *

**A/N: **yuuuuuuup, it's pretty bad, sorry. I'm sorta brain dead and homesick and just blahhhh. Oooh look at that awkward sentence structure, don't you just love it? Sorry for any spelling errors, grammatical errors, or random 7's that my computer inserts b/c I have a stuck key; I have calculus homework and can't really take the time to edit it properly. Not really a lot to say here… have a nice day!

**Next Chapter:** A Place! Finally, a chance for him to prove his worth. This is exactly the sort of thing the arrogant boy has been needing to make a name for himself. Thank god the Physical Education teacher knew to entrust him with this ever so important investigation. There's no way he'll let the school down, this culprit must be found!


	2. A Place

**A/N: **Wow! I posted chapter one, refreshed the page about a half hour later- because that's what you do when you're avoiding your calculus homework- and it already had a review and three favorites. Thanks so much, that really made me feel as if I wasn't totally crazy for thinking these two should have a bit more of a story. DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ATLUS OR ANY CHARACTERS OR THIS TOTALLY AWESOME SONG FROM A VERY POTTER SEQUEL.

* * *

_A "place,"  
They say, "Hey, know your place!"  
But I've never had a place to even know,  
or a face that I could go to  
if I needed someone there..._

_-Avps_

Monday, the start of a new academic session and Hidetoshi's favorite day. Starting there the week just sort of went downhill it seemed. At least some students actually woke up, went to first period, and thought 'hey, I think I'll try my absolute hardest starting now'; of course that never lasted into Tuesday, but one day of devotion was still a pretty good start. As he closed his textbook the narcissistic junior glanced in the direction of the classroom's clock. There were exactly thirty seconds left before the bell rang to conclude last period and, as much as he hated to end the day even a smidge bit early, there was a more pressing matter on his mind. In homeroom his teacher, the school's physical education teacher, had informed him that they needed to talk later about a very important matter. Overcome with a state of eagerness it was hard to concentrate on boring topics such as history and calculus, but he somehow managed to make it through the day. Now, as he gently placed his pencil in its holder and stuck it in the old wooden desk, the dictator-in-the-making felt as though his life were about to change forever… and for the better.

Brushing past the less ambitious students he burst through the door and maneuvered swiftly down the crowded corridor. A few girls had stopped midway down the stairs and were discussing their weekend partying loudly; just because they wanted the entire school to know that they weren't the perfect little angels their parents liked to pretend they were. Ugh, these simpleminded peons around him were just so obnoxious with their idiotic ramblings; how he hoped that a teacher would stop by and report them to the local police for taking part in the consumption of alcohol at such a young age. However, before he could open his mouth to scold them for their indecent behavior, a firm hand found its way to his shoulder and a booming voice consumed the area. "Ah, Hidetoshi, just the man I was looking for." Man? A devilish smirk curled onto his lips as he nodded to the older instructor. Well, that did make sense; he was far more mature than any of these Neanderthals, so why shouldn't he be viewed as an adult? "About what I said earlier…" The man's voice became nothing more than a hushed whisper as they entered the student council room together. "There was a cigarette found in the boy's bathroom. I want you, as the head of the disciplinary committee, to find the culprit and bring him to justice."

Heart beating at an alarming pace it was all the boy could do to keep from shouting at the top of his lungs in excitement. This was amazing, perfect even, his big break to finally prove himself to the rest of the student body. Everyone would have to respect him after this; and, once he found the one responsible, the title as next year's Class President would, without a doubt, be his. "Now I've gathered a list of possible suspects already, so I want you to check them out first." By now the other members of the Student Council had started to look up, one by one, from their numerous assignments. Thankfully his back was turned to them so that, when the P.E. teacher placed the sacred document in his trembling hands, they could not read the first few names. However a few of the people on the list came as a surprise to even him. As his dark orbs scanned the parchment he could not help but gaze at a few members of his…errr the council. To think, he had trusted them all with the safety of the school; and now they might turn out to be a criminal? That was simply something he would not, and could not, tolerate.

The hand returned for a single, yet delicate, pat on the back before the teacher made direct eye contact with his newfound lackey. "Alright Hidetoshi, I'm counting on you… for both our sakes." Of course his teacher was counting on him; heck, the whole school was, even if they were not yet aware of it. He was going to be a champion of justice, a light at the end of the dark tunnel of law breakers; he was going to be Gekkoukan High School's next Student Body President! Oh how embarrassing it would be for all those who had previously scoffed at his dreams of success. There was simply no way that he would be able to not rub it in their faces; not that he would flat out say anything, that would be childish, but he would certainly turn the tables in his favor. Of course he would be careful not to abuse his power; after all, power was nothing without a brilliant mind to wield it and, thankfully, he was extremely clever. Behind him the door clicked open and, a few seconds later, swung shut once more. Some had to have entered the room and, judging by how much time he assumed had elapsed since the P.E. teacher intercepted him in the hallway, they were late for the meeting. Such tardiness would not be permitted when he was running the show.

Folding the paper into four crisp squares he tucked it securely into his pocket and nodded once more. "…Yes, sir." This list was his one, and by this point only, hope to prove his worth to the rest of the school. It could make, or break, him; but the risks were all too worth the possible outcome. Oh if he was president imagine all the good he could accomplish! Students would be more obedient, there would be absolutely no bullying of any sort, homework would be the number one afterschool priority, and parties would be a thing of the past. It was a glorious future and it was all in his grasp, all he had to do was work a little harder. How hard could it be to catch this smoker anyway? They left the remains in the boy's restroom for all to see, so they obviously could not be particularly intelligent. And the list, don't forget that. Hidetoshi already had a place to start in his quest; it could not get any easier than this. Determination, persistence, and hard work would see him through without a doubt. The door slammed closed once more as the Physical Education teacher exited the classroom and he turned back to his peers.

It appeared that his new acquaintance was the one who had been late to the meeting and although he normally would have jumped on her for it the stack of papers in her arms told him that he better hold his tongue. Glancing at the glasses wearing girl standing beside the window he flicked his pointer finger in the new girl's general direction; thereby instructing her to assist. Really, was so she blind as to not have noticed their addition struggling with her load? Of course this alos begged the question as to why he had not offered himself up to help. But he had to conserve his energy for more important tasks, clearly. "Oh, Minako-san…" Chihiro mumbled as she took the top half of the stack and dropped it on the front table. Part of him wanted to inform her that, if just dropped and not carefully placed, the papers could tumble over and spill everywhere… but a wise man once said that Power is when you have every justification to do something, and you don't. So, rather, he let it slide; but, if it happened again, the spineless girl would certainly get what she deserved. Everyone got one pardon, and she had just wasted hers.

As he picked up a fresh piece of chalk, to write the day's outline on the board, a ticked off voice came from the far back of the room. "…Hey, what did he mean by "for both our sakes"? What's he talking about?" The student council member who had posed the inquiry seemed to be number six, Yuki Raion, second year, grade point average 3.2. There was nothing special about him; at least, there hadn't been until now. This boy was on the list he had just received, how curious that he would choose now to speak up. This was the first time he had ever contributed in any form of council work or discussion, strange indeed. "Hey, buddy, I'm talkin' to you!" Talkin', what horrible grammar; how on earth did he maintain such a high gpa? Was he a cheater, that would make sense, and maybe he was also a terrible smoker! No innocent person would be pressing him for an answer like this; it had to be the guilt welling up inside, the truth trying to burst out. This might be easier than he had expected, and he had not predicted any trouble from the seemingly basic task.

Crossing his arms tightly over his upper torso Hidetoshi gave the classroom, and those in it, a warning look. If they wanted to know what was happening then he supposed they did have some right, some grounds on which to base their pleas. However, if the culprit was in the room, then the more he let on about the case the more he gave away… and that was too risky. "He just wants to create a better school environment, so he simply asked for help from an apt student." Brushing a loose strand of hair back behind his ear the strict teenager continued. "Just like how the President asked Minako-kun to join Student Council." That was also quite unexpected, and also not at all wanted, but everyone else had accepted her with open arms; and hell, she was starting to grow on even him. But that was not the point of the matter, what really upset him was his classmate's willingness to let her rise to her fullest potential, but not him. Right from the start everyone had always been putting him down, like they could not see the brilliance in his proposals, and it was downright infuriating. Just wait, as soon as he was the leader they would all be singing a different tune.

There was a cloud crashing sound as the terribly annoying Student Council member leapt up from his seat, causing it to fall to the ground behind him, and stormed over. Oh yes, he was just so intimidating with his popped collar and rolled up sleeves. As if; the boy needed to sit back down and learn his place in the world. He had no right to be approaching a higher ranked official, especially not under these circumstances. "What! You can't just decide something like that without the President's permission!" If looks could kill he would have been dead in a heartbeat. Thankfully they could not, so the childish boy was free to glare at him all day if he so chose; The Odagiri boy could hardly care any less. But he did put out a single hand as an indicator for the boy to freeze. He really had to stop yelling and causing a scene, all the commotion might bring a teacher into the room and then they would all look foolish. It seemed to work for the angry child merely stood there, fuming, and glancing around the room for someone to help. Did he not realize that he was completely and utterly alone in this endeavor? That everyone else was content to let him go about his business for the good of the school?

A soft whisper broke the silence as Minako leaned in and spoke quietly to Chihiro. "Did something happen?" Oh, right, she had not been here for the beginning of the meeting so of course she was wondering what all the fuss was about. It was nothing important though, just some little nobody throwing a tantrum, so she really did not have to bother herself with the details. Now that the Yuki matter seemed to have settled itself he could not help but wonder what all those papers were for. Perhaps she had made signs for something? But there was no event going on, in school or locally, so that couldn't be it. Sticking one hand in his khakis' pocket he strolled over to the table where the papers had been left. As he approached bright colors caught his attention and they seemed to be flyers of some sort. 'SUPPORT YOUR SCHOOL' with the new printer rules decorated the sheets and he was pleased almost to the point where he would applaud the girl for her extra effort. But he was a firm believe that people should not do something for the rewards and acknowledgment; rather, they should do it because they want to help benefit their community.

Hustling over to the flyers the Student Council member snatched the one Hidetoshi had been observing out of his hand and shoved it in the sangria haired girl's face. "Aren't you gonna say anything, Minako!" If he thought the Student Council member seemed upset before then now he was downright angry. Still, that was no way to treat a member of their team; especially not one who also happened to be a female. In the time it took the enraged boy to blink the lead disciplinarian had taken the paper back and was straightening out the now multiple folds. Honestly, some people were just so rude; what the heck was his problem anyway? Minako hadn't done anything except go above and beyond the call of duty to make these fliers. People who prey on the innocent… he had seen it all too often in his life and would be damned if he allowed it to go on right in front of him. "So is he gonna spy on the boys' bathroom, now? Man, everybody's on that suspect list of his! Even us!" A few people's heads turned up at this, but most seemed to shrug it off; good, that's exactly what they should be doing. If they were innocent then there was no need to fret.

"Don't exaggerate… I'm a member of the Disciplinary Committee, not the police." He spat at the loudmouth next to him. If he was the police he would have already placed him under arrest and would be hauling him down to the station. "…Look, you have two choices. Either help out and prove you're trustworthy, or refuse and raise suspicion." Like now, boy was he raising a lot of suspicion at this very moment. Why the hell was he protesting the investigation so much unless he had something to hide? When the paper seemed to be in usable condition once more he offered it back to the girl who had worked so very hard on them before their 'teammate' so carelessly intervened. His trademark smirk crossed his previously pouting lips as she placed it back on the top of the pile. "We sure have to deal with a lot of B.S. around here, don't we Minako-kun?" A knowing smile made its way onto her face and, for a moment, he almost considered smiling back. At this rate it almost seemed as if the newbie was the only one he could truly count on. "Now, if you'd excuse me." If this was just going to be an extended argument then he was off to look into some of the people on the list. His time was far too valuable to be wasted standing around here receiving lip from some wrathful child.

The door closed loudly behind him, yet he could still make out the call of that irritating voice. "H-Hey! Don't ignore me! You teacher's pet!" Ooooh breaking out the big insults, eh? Teacher's pet, what grade were they in, second? Had this student's comebacks really not evolved since then? It would have been worth a chuckle if he was into that happiness sort of thing; but now it was just another source of annoyance. The hallway was empty, minus a small group of girls at the far end gossiping quietly by the water bubbler, and it seemed to be just the sort of tranquil state he needed to forget what had just transpired. Good things never seemed to last for very long though for the door of the classroom opened once more and the student burst out of it. "Hey, private DICK! I was talking to you!" That was a little better than teacher's pet, but still nowhere near up to par with real verbal abuse. "You think that you're so much better than the rest of us, but you sure as hell aren't! If anything you're the most obnoxious part of the council; you and you're new stupid little girlfriend!"

Now that was high school material; in fact, his smirk even faltered a bit at the last statement. "Leave me alone you lousy, ignorant, moron." He was better than the rest of them; the Physical Education teacher had to have seen it as well. After all, why had he alone been chosen for this task? If anything this boy was just jealous of his potential! That had to be it, they were all just envious oh him; it was all so clear now. Perhaps he should be pitying this boy rather than snapping at him. However he had not only insulted Hidetoshi, but the crimson eyed girl as well; and that was unforgiveable. Sure he had not been too eager when she jumped aboard, but there was no reason for this fool to be badmouthing her just because they talked on occasion. "…and keep Minako out of this. You know very well that she's just another underling to me." Calling her his girlfriend? As if, he was far too busy for that sort of nonsense. Even if he wasn't she definitely was not the type of girl he was interested in, she was too happy all the time, like his mother.

Taking a few steps closer the other boy pulled his right hand into a tight fist and then thrust it off to the side. Very dramatic, but not at all threatening if that was what he had been going for. "You're such a douche! This entire thing is insane, can't you see that?" Insane, to the contrary, it was genius. The school's wrongdoer would be brought to justice and, at the same time, he would be lifted up on a pedestal of glory. Just what could this child see wrong with it, unless he was the one behind the cigarette and feared being found out. That was the only reasonable explanation at this point, why else had he not dropped the subject and gone back to his own life already? "You're the only one who even wants to bother with this nonsense; just let it go!" Never, there was no way that he would ever relent until he had brought the criminal to justice and nothing anyone said would change that fact. He had no allies in this battle, but it was better that way. People just slowed you down; the only one you could truly rely on was yourself.

Crossing his arms once more Hidetoshi raised a single eyebrow in the boy's general direction. "I'm leaving; give my regards to the rest of the council." There was no reason to stay and feed into this child's rage, so he might as well head home and start this week's homework. Without another word he turned on his heels and headed in the direction of the exit. There were a few more insults that the student felt the need to shoot off, but he did not have time to stay and listen. As he descended down the outside steps Hidetoshi instantly regretted not heading back to the classroom to say his farewells in person. Hopefully they did not think that he was slacking off, the previous conflict had just caused him extreme mental fatigue. But Chihiro and the Vice President could hold down the fort, and now they even had Minako who he was more than confident could assist them in whatever they planned to do today. Yes, they would be fine if he headed home early; it would be in their best interests for him to get right to work anyway. The quicker he finished his required homework the sooner he could begin to look for the culprit.

xx

Flyer folded neatly in his school jacket pocket the boy with slick backed hair strolled calmly into the library. It was Tuesday afternoon so he doubted that anyone would be there, it was not often that one could actually find a high school student studying their day away. So he assumed that he would just walk in, tape the flyer on the printer, and head off to check out the next three names on his suspect list. So far he had come across nothing suspicious with the first five people, but he would not allow himself to be discouraged. Somewhere on the piece of paper, tucked away between two pages of his book, was the name of the student who had left the cigarette in the bathroom; he just knew it. And, for every person that he proved it wasn't through a thorough investigation, he was one step closer to discovering exactly who it really was. Fame would be his and, at long last, he would have the power associated with it. He would make a better school environment, a more welcoming one, where people would actually look forward to going to school every day. It might start small, and it would definitely take time, but he certainly had faith in his abilities of persuasion.

The printer was located behind the main desk in the back of the library, but it should have been unoccupied today since there was no Library Committee meeting. Yet, for some reason, there was a girl sitting behind the desk, quietly plugging away at some difficult looking trigonometry problems. Short taupe colored locks framed a delicate face and there was a small freckle under her left eye. She looked…peaceful, yet something else was clearly evident on her face. Perhaps it was sorrow? However she seemed strong enough to deal with her problems; after all, she was out and studying rather than simply hiding in her room and sobbing like most girls her age would do if something upset them. "Pardon me but what, pray tell, are you doing in here all by yourself?" He inquired as he stopped in front of the desk. Not that he wanted to initiate a conversation or anything, but he really did have to get in back of her to put up the flyer. It would have been inconsiderate to just open the door, brush past her, and go about his business. Besides, maybe she would have some insight as to a few of the names on his list. Not that he would listen to what she had to say, but one could never have too many opinions.

"Huh?" The girl's face filled with alarm as she looked up from her textbook, clearly taken aback by the sudden interaction. Well she certainly wasn't a people person, not that he minded, those who chatted a lot were nuisances. "Oh, u-ummm…" Great way to answer his question, a mumble and a stutter, amazing. "I'm studying." She finally managed to admit shyly, a light blush shrouding her face. What, was it embarrassing to be caught doing work these days? What was the world coming to? She should be taking pride in her choice to better herself rather than to waste time mingling with her classmates, it's the decision he would have made. "My name is Saori Hasegawa." Extending a hand she offered it to him with a light smile. "I'm a senior." Oh yes, he recalled having heard about her from some of the upperclassmen. She moved from somewhere overseas, right? Apparently her parents had sent her here, but she appeared to be somewhat of a loner still. Apparently she was a year older than most students in her grade, so it must be hard to make friends. She was better off without them though; friends were just a burden, a wager that never turned out to be worthwhile in the end.

Firmly grasping her hand he shook it eagerly. "A pleasure to meet you Hasegawa-san, my name is Hidetoshi Odagiri, junior." And she better remember it, because someday he was going to make something great of himself. His corporation would be known the world over as a place people wanted to woke, a place where they felt they belonged; but he had to start small. So, in due time, the school would be the first stepping stone on his quest to power. Perhaps gaining the support of some upperclassmen would help him in the long run; sure they could not vote, but they did have more say in the school than freshmen and sophomores did. "It is such a nice day outside. Wouldn't you prefer to study in the sunlight rather than this dark room?" She seemed to ponder this for a moment before shaking her head. So she preferred these circumstances, how interesting. There had to be more to this girl than met the eye, but he was having a great deal of difficulty uncovering just what that was. Perhaps it was something in her past, something that explained her sudden change of schools? However he was not exactly interested in perusing the matter further.

"I like it better in here… there are no distractions." From the looks of her paper she had been in there for quite a while. The questions went almost completely down the sheet and filled all the free space. Wasn't she a busy little bee? People like this certainly were hard to come by, a pity she would not be around when he was President; he could certainly find a place for her in his Student Council. She was good with numbers so the spot of treasurer would be a wonderful fit. " Besides," Saori whispered as she began to erase a few digits. "I like to study…and I really don't have much else to do with my time." So that was it. She had concealed it well up until this point, but the sorrow in her voice was clearly evident now. She missed human interaction; so there were differences between them. If only she could learn what he had, that people were not worth the effort, then she could begin to live a more fulfilling life, like he was. It was not enough only to be dedicated to her studies; she also had to not miss spending time with her classmates and, ugh, making friends.

Although there was no one around he decided to drop his voice for a more serious inquiry. "Do you think that I might be able to get your help with something?" She seemed hesitant at first, but soon nodded. Easy enough, now all that was left to recall a few of the names belonging to senior girls on his list. "What can you tell me about an Eri Fumiko, Noriko Hitomi, and Jade Iida?" They were friends, he knew that much; and he also recalled seeing them out in the residential area past nightfall. Not that it meant they were out there smoking, but it certainly was more than a bit sketchy. It was those type of teenagers that made his mother worry when he did not come home on time, how bothersome. Maybe if one of them turned out to be the culprit the punishment they received would be so severe that they would change their behavior entirely. Oh how useful that would be for him, the school, his mother's constant worrying, and the girl's health. Thankfully Saori seemed to know them for, as soon as he finished his question, she released an almost inaudible sigh. "That bad, huh?"

Clicking her tongue a bit she seemed to be getting her words together before actually speaking. "They're not terrible people, more like misunderstood." From what he could tell they could have been mass murderers and this girl still would have said the same thing, so he was going to take that statement with a grain of salt. "Fumiko-san comes from a one parent house, so it's not really her fault." Single parent households were just as strong as two, so that was a terrible excuse. "Her father gambles a lot so she's always working to try to pay off his debts." Alright, he was crossing her off the list; no high school student who had to constantly work to pay off debts had enough extra money to support a nicotine addiction. "Hitomi-san is one of four so she takes care of her brothers and sisters afterschool." Hidetoshi certainly hoped that she was not the smoker, for that would have negative effects on both her and her family. "And Iida-san plays volleyball on the school's team so she rarely has any time to herself." Pausing only to write another few numbers on her sheet the quiet girl continued onward. "I believe that is why they are always out so late… it's the only time they have to themselves."

As much as he hated to admit it, that made sense. It seemed that he could cross those three off his list; he had to be getting close to finding the real culprit by now. "Thank you very much Hasegawa-san." He added as he placed the flyer down on the table next to her. "Mind taping that to the printer before you leave today? I have to hurry home." He certainly did have a lot to think about, this investigation was turning out to be a bit a bit more of a hassle than planned. However he just had to keep telling himself that it was all worth it; had to keep his eye on the prize. As he turned around a sudden thought occurred to him. "You know," He began as he headed for the door. "Since you're here so often you should look into the Library Committee." She was certain to be good at that, and she was here anyway. Might as well help the school; and who knows, maybe it could help her as well. Yes, it could definitely cure her lack of social interaction. Opening the door he left her with a final thought. "I'm sure it would be a good way to make friends."

xx

Heading into school Wednesday he could not help but think that this was it, the day he would unmask the student behind the cigarette incident. As students hurried around him, and pushed their way through the school doors, he could not help but be annoyed at everyone invading his personal space. They should have gotten an earlier head start to their day so that they were not running late all the time. Not that he was one to talk; today he had overslept yet again and nearly missed his bus. He had to invest in a new alarm clock, one with a louder buzzer that he could keep on his desk considering he rarely made it over to his bed. Hard work was the only way to get ahead in the world, and he was going to succeed no matter what toll it might take on his body. As long as he had the determination, and the willpower, to stay up all night studying he would. There were energy pills and other nonsense like coffee that he could use if worst came to worst; but, for now, he was doing fine only running on three to five hours of sleep.

At least, he assumed that he was doing fine until last period when he ended up falling asleep with his head propped up on his hand. As he was drifting in and out of his state of hibernation the boy next to him began to fiddle with a small rectangular object under his desk. Could it be? True his vision was still a bit blurry, but it looked like a lighter! To think, the culprit had been sitting next to him all week; hell, he had been next to Hidetoshi all year and he never suspected him of being a troublemaker. Was his sense of judgment really that far off? "You!" He exclaimed loudly as he shot up from his desk and pointed an accusing finger at the boy. "You're the culprit; admit it!" The entire class froze and looked towards the back where his seat was located; even the teacher stopped his lesson to stare in awe. Sure it was unlike the Odagiri boy to talk out of place, and he would never even dream of disrupting a lesson, but this was important! Certainly they would understand that he had to do this now, before the perpetrator got away.

"What?" The boy with the supposed lighter exclaimed loudly, his face quickly tightening into a clearly ticked off scowl. "Are you high or something? It wasn't me!" As the boy slammed his hands forcefully on his desk Hidetoshi noted the small orange eraser he had discarded; the item he previously mistook for a lighter. Crud, so it didn't prove that he smoked… but it also didn't prove that he wasn't the culprit! They knew for a fact that it was a student, so it could still be anyone. From across the room he heard another male student's voice speak up, telling him to bug off. Well wasn't this interesting? Could there possibly be two felons that he needed to look for, a team or smokers? True there had only been one discarded cigarette found, but who knew how many had been in there and remembered to throw theirs out? This could turn out to be a school wide scandal with many parties participating; could you imagine the recognition he would get for bringing that sort of thing down? He would go down in Gekkoukan history as the great Hidetoshi Odagiri, the best head of the disciplinary committee there ever was, and all wrongdoers would quake in their boots when he came walking down the hall.

Turning to the other boy he sent out yet another accusing finger. "Then it was you!" Of course he protested, but who wouldn't when faced with such a horrible truth? "You were in it together; both of you are responsible for the crime!" By this point the entire class had erupted into a full on screaming competition and it was hard to tell whose side each person was on. Fortunately the overwhelming majority seemed to take the same side, unfortunately it was not his. A crumpled up piece of paper suddenly slammed into his head and he whipped around to see a group of girl's laughing. "You're all being completely unreasonable!" His voice boomed over the classroom and everyone fell silent once more. "I'm doing this for you!" But their laughter broke out once more and it took every bit of self-restraint to keep himself from giving the two boys a piece of his mind. A blow or two to the face would help them see the light, no? But that was terribly immature, and could result in him getting suspended, so that option was out. Instead he was going to have to remain calm and just beat them down later with a tortuous punishment for their misconduct.

"Know your place, dork!" That was the breaking point, he and the other student headed for one another, faces twisted into ugly messes of fury and rage. However their teacher would have no more of this so, clapping his hands together, he dismissed the class early. "Whatever, I'm out of here." Blowing past Hidetoshi he made sure to give a quick shove before he headed out into the hallway. Turning on his heels the egotistical boy charged after him, but the bell to end class rang and students flooded the hall, obscuring his view. Now where was that second student hiding? Oh man, when Hidetoshi found him he was going to get quite the talking to. As his dark orbs scanned the mass of girls and boys in uniform he suddenly saw a familiar figure up ahead. There he was, conversing with another male student at the bottom of the stairs. Well this teenager certainly looked like the type to smoke; he had his uniform open to reveal a black undershirt, hair spiked up in the front and bleached blonde, black wristbands, and a studded collar. There was no questioning it this time; the student up ahead had to be the culprit!

"You there! Stop in the name of the Gekkoukan Disciplinary Committee!" Picking up his face so that he was at more than a fast walk but less than a jog, Hidetoshi maneuvered skillfully in and out of the many students cogging the first floor hallway. He had to reach this rebel rouser before he had a chance to escape, this needed to be stopped here and now. Sure the incident in the classroom had been embarrassing, and caused a major hit to his self-esteem, but it would be worth it if he could bring down this criminal in front of everyone. Then they would see him for the hero he was, they had to. He could not be the laughingstock of his class anymore, it was unbearable. He could be the defender of the school, shine in their eyes, if only they would give him the chance. But this was it; this was the moment he had been waiting for, and to think, he even had an audience, how lucky. Someday they would be able to look back and say with pride that yes, they were there when Hidetoshi Odagiri began his role as upcoming defender of the school. The position as President was more than in his grasp, it was his future.

"Huh?" The punk managed to utter after the narcissistic boy loudly accused him in the middle of the hallway. Arms crossing firmly over his chest he glared up at the boy, who was nearly a head taller; taking in everything about him that just screamed delinquent. Was his ear pierced, twice? If that was not a sign of being a troublemaker than he did not know what was. The other boy's eyes were turning into mere slits as he glowered down at the committee member. The spikes on his choker seemed to be made of metal, and were now reflecting Hidetoshi's empty eyes back at him. He wasn't afraid of this big oaf; there was no way that he would back down now. He had come so far, all he had to do was get a confession out of this unimpressive excuse for a man. "So where's your EVIDENCE, smart guy!" Oh, so he knew what that word meant, impressive. He would have pinned this punk for the illiterate kind. Of course, maybe he only knew it from one too many run-ins with the legal system. His grimace did not let up, but the coal haired boy did manage to retain a collected composure when he finally spoke.

"There's no need for evidence. I know all about you." Yes, after careful examination he recalled this boy from the local newspaper. Being in charge of the school's Disciplinary Committee he took it upon himself to keep up with the daily police reports, one could never be too well informed. He just wanted to help keep the student body safe, they were his to look out for. "You were arrested for beating up a guy in the park who snitched on you, right?" That sort of behavior was something he had no tolerance for. The poor person on the receiving end of this student's temper; he had just been doing his civic duty and he had gotten pummeled for it. Where was the justice in that? It almost pained him to think about it; if more things like that occurred then the number of people reporting crimes would be less and less until people stopped mentioning them at all. Then what would they do when the police ran out of leads, just drop the case? Drawing in a deep, and relaxing, breath Hidetoshi approached the student. There was no way that he was going to just stand by and let this sort of misconduct go on under his watch.

From the other side of the hallway he could hear a female student let out an overly dramatic sigh. "Whoa! He's at it AGAIN! That's the third person today he's accused…" So what if it was; was she keeping tabs on him or something? What he did with his time was none of her business, and he refused to be beaten into embarrassment by her words. So what if he had been wrong twice, in the end he had made the right call. The first boy, although not guilty, had led him to the second, who he had still unsure about. And, finally, the second boy had led him to this latest suspect; and he fit all the qualifications of someone who would break the rules and smoke in the school's bathroom. Sure it was a roundabout way of getting to the answer but, if he reached the desired outcome, did it honestly matter? As she flipped her hair nonchalantly over her shoulder he half wanted to give her a piece of his mind. But this was her one free pardon, so he would let it slide. Besides, he had bigger fish to fry. In fact, he had a giant delinquent to take down.

Beside the sighing girl was a short chocolate haired girl with highlights randomly scattered about, because that certainly looked great and not at all fake. As the brunette broke into a fit of laughter she managed to squeak out a few sentences between over the top giggles. "My boyfriend was so pissed he was accused, too. This guy's asking for it." So she was dating one of the boys from earlier? Of course, why wasn't he surprised? Let's see, judging by how high she had her skirt raked up it was probably the second boy who turned out to be friends with this punk. Yes, her pound of eye makeup and gaudy lipstick made that a sure thing. How inconvenient that she would be there to witness this. A small group of students had flocked around them and were now eagerly anticipating a brawl or something to break out. Well they were going to be let down because there was no way that he would ever resort to violence. He had to remain cool at all times, it would be too costly to risk losing his head and letting his emotions take over. Each move had to be carefully thought out in advance, he could not afford another slipup.

Stepping back up to the plate he stood a little taller to confront the boy head on; of course it was more head to shoulders, but that was irrelevant. "Keeping quiet will do you no good." As their dark eyes met it became the stare down of the century, neither side relenting. He was doing good, holding out for so long, but sooner or later he would have to break and admit that he was the smoker. After a minute or two of silence he decided to offer up another solution, just in case he actually was innocent. "…If it's not you, then give me some names." A punk like him had to know a dozen smokers, and some of them had to go to this school. His voice softened a bit and he gave the boy a resolved look. "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone. You have my word as a member of the Disciplinary Committee." He would never leak his source; that was just low. Of course, he almost deserved it; after all, he was the one who had beaten the boy who told on him, it would be like karma. Luckily for this delinquent Hidetoshi believed in nothing but firm and equal justice, so the karma option was out.

"Shut up, asshole…" With a final glance in the boy with slick back hair's direction the punk tightened his left hand into a tight fist. Sure he may have looked tough but come on now, threatening someone in the middle of a school hallway right after class got out? No one was stupid enough to go through with the action. Even the most moronic rebel rousers knew that you did not start trouble in front of faculty and, although none were around right now, you could be certain that they lurked in the classrooms nearby. But still, the boy raised his arm, drew his hand back, and- the next thing he knew there was a stinging sensation on his cheek. Eyed open wide in shock it took a moment for him to process what had just happened. Had he really been hit? Surprisingly he always sort of assumed that a blow to the face would hurt more, but he supposed that he be better not be questioning that now. He opened his mouth to say something but the stinging sensation only intensified; and what was that metallic taste, blood? Well this certainly had turned out to be another lovely day at school with his wonderful classmates.

Turning on his heels the male student hurried off, the two girls hurrying after him. "Tch…! Don't think I'll just let that go!" Oh no, he would have a battery form filled out and in with the principal by tomorrow morning. There was no way he was going to take this lying down. He had given that boy ample opportunity to turn himself in, or at least give him another name as to who might have committed the crime, but no he had to resort to violence. The group that had formed around them had begun to disperse and he decided that it would be best to head up to the Student Council room, by now he had to be quite late and they were probably wondering where he had run off to. However, as he turned towards the stairwell, there stood the scarlet eyed newbie, a perplexed look on her face. "Minako-kun…" How much had she seen? Hidetoshi felt himself wince in embarrassment; he had just gotten punched by some worthless nobody, and one of his subordinates has witnessed it. The girl appeared to be biting her bottom lip for some reason, was something bothering her? "You look like you want to say something…"

At that a wide smile broke through her confusing expression and she saluted. "Working hard, huh?" Heat began to rise through his face, and it was not due to the constant burning radiating from his cheek. She… she understood. She got that he was working for the benefit of the entire student body, not just to move himself along the power ladder. There was only the best of intentions in his actions; and, she saw that. How could that even be? He just sort of assumed that no one would ever understand what he was trying to do. After all, in the past, not a single person had even bothered trying to see if from his point of view. What made her any different? Why was she being so empathetic? It was strange; he just sort of assumed that life without people was the best choice of action, but now he was starting to question that belief. If there were more people out there like her and Keisuke, who could possible understand him, then maybe he should try to give them a chance. It was not going to happen overnight, but he was more than willing to give it a try.

A more playful smirk appeared as he bowed slightly to her. "…Of course." For once today he was satisfied with his actions; they may have lost him popularity points, but he had learned a valuable lesson. "If we let people get away with breaking the rules, things will only get worse." That was why they had to pull the weed before the plant had time to grow, bloom, and spread its toxins to the nearby flowers. "One day, it'll spiral out of control, and there's nothing we can do." Life proved that for sure; once some things were said and done there was no going back, ever. "So we should deal with the problem now, while we still can." Casting his eyes away from her he began to fiddle a bit with the ribbon around his neck. "…I know what people think of me." He was, by no stretch of the imagination, popular. In fact, there were very few people that even liked him. "But those who carry out justice have always clashed with others. History has proven this to be true." At least that was what he had always told himself. "So, let this serve as a warning to other offenders." Releasing a stored up breath he looked thoughtfully at the girl standing before him who appeared to have been listening eagerly to every word, and was now frowning at his mention of being disliked. "Minako-kun, you're a sensible person… You understand, right?" All she had to do was nod and smile once more for, by now, he trusted her. Trusted that she had faith in him, trusted that she would never abandon him in a time of need, and trusted that she would be a good Vice President of his council next year. "I'm gonna get back to business. You should go home before it gets dark."

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**A/N: **Once again I'm too busy to spellcheck/grammar check/ and etc., sorry I have sooo much homework that I totally put off all day in order to do this.I'd love to hear what you think so far so please, feel free to leave a review!

neko-neko-aishizu- I'm happy you liked it.

cielle's amour- I'm sooooo glad I'm not the only one who loves that sort of guy.

savingthegeneration- glad you found the humor in it! I can't tell you how many times I was all 'this is pretty funny' but then figured that it probably wasn't because I'm just the type of person who cracks themselves up.

deidara'sgirl19- Had there been an ending it would have turned out sexy, that's how! Haha just kidding, but ohhhh I know; why does he have to 'wait until he's become a better man'? He's fine right now. Oh and the funniest part of the game was definitely 'well that only leaves your room'… you basically forced your way into Shinjiro's room…. I don't think I ever laughed so hard.

**Next Chapter:** Laughter! After what had happened to his father Hidetoshi had built himself into a stone cold person, there was no way that he was ever going to be happy again. However, one can't help but laugh sometimes.


	3. Laughter

**A/N: **DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ATLUS OR ANY CHARACTERS OR THIS TOTALLY AWESOME SONG FROM A VERY POTTER SEQUEL.

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_I'm laughing  
it's hard to hide a smile  
My god, it's been a while  
since I have had a reason to._

_-Avps_

Running a hand through his slick backed hair Hidetoshi could not help but wonder exactly how much he spent a year on hair gel. Surely it was not enough to keep a business running, but he certainly did his part to make sure that there would be no layoffs come winter. That being said, someone out there should be thanking him for seeing to it that they kept food on the table. True this was all beyond irrelevant but, to be quite honest, it was a far more interesting thought than Mr. Edogawa's lesson on the occult. Seriously, who in their right mind decided that he could possibly pass for an acceptable substitute teacher? All his ranting on magic was giving the incredibly down to earth boy a headache. This wasn't 'integrative learning', or whatever he called it; it was torture. Indeed, his time could be better spent just picking the paint off the walls, or watching grass grow. With every word that came out of this man's mouth he felt his own intellect slipping away. By this point in the lecture he had to have lost, at the very least, five IQ points; and that was unacceptable. He came here to learn about topics that would help him later in life… not about voodoo, tarot cards, arcana, and other such nonsense.

Now doodling in notebooks had always seemed extremely childish, even back when he was in grammar school he could find no real use for it. But such boredom had set in that he was now contemplating defiling the neat borders of his page with some immature image. Before he could convince himself of a better plan of action the stern looking boy had created a soft outline of a crown. Not like the three pronged ones that you saw on the heads of little girls at Halloween; but a more elaborate, almost oval shaped, one that would have belonged on the head of an old monarch. One day, although there were no more rulers, he would achieve a similar position. The power would course through his veins, metaphorically of course, and he would use it for good. He would be a kind force to all those below him, there would be no worries or fears; he would dispel everything that ailed them. From behind yet another crumpled up piece of paper hit dead center in the back of his head. Oh yes, that was why he had been rubbing there in the first place; how easily he got distracted these days. Alright, he had already decided that he was going to be a peaceful authority, but the question was- did they deserve it?

By the time he put his books away in the cramped little enclave the high school dared call a locker he had been bombarded by three notes rolled into ball form, none of them with kind comments, and had suffered through a great deal of verbal harassment. Fortunately it did not bother him; he was far too above the average population for them to even begin to understand it. It was as if he was expecting a kindergartner, without any previous knowledge of math, to ace a calculus exam. It just wasn't done. There was no way that they could grasp the fact that he was doing all of this in an attempt to create a better environment for them. It was not until the day the change occurred that Hidetoshi expected them to even notice what was going on. So he held no ill will towards them for their juvenile actions. "Greetings." The introduction came from the side, but he was all too familiar with the voice to allow himself to be taken by surprise. Pressing a hand against the door to lock away his books, the head of the Disciplinary Committee cautiously observed the Physical Education teacher who was glancing around to make sure that no one was watching. "What are your thoughts on the VP?"

His thought on the Vice President? Well he honestly did not know her very well. Sure they were both in Student Council but he had never really gotten the opportunity to converse with her before. Normally she was just texting on her cellphone and loudly popping gum when he tried to get the group's attention. Such noisy chewing had always been a major pet peeve of his but considering she was of higher rank he had not spoken up. Why did he suddenly want to know about her though? It seemed very unrelated to all their previous discussions…unless, surely he could not be thinking that she was behind the cigarette mystery? True he knew very little about her but still, she did not seem like the type to do such a horrible thing in school. Besides, why were the majority of students he wanted investigated girls? It seemed highly unlikely that any of them would have snuck into the boys' room to smoke. "I understand that you are just trying to be thorough with your investigation sir," He began, subconsciously raising his left eyebrow in an inquisitive manner. "But wasn't the cigarette found in the boys' restroom? Shouldn't we be focusing on the male part of the student body?"

A dark crimson color engulfed the older man's face and for a split second Hidetoshi thought it might have been a blush rather than pent up anger. But, although flustered, the teacher's voice showed the difference between embarrassment and rage. "Why you little-" Little, for his information the coal haired boy was five eight, a perfectly acceptable height if not a tad on the tall side. "I'll show you to question my authority." Oh boy, he used the a-word, now Hidetoshi was in for it. "I'm the only one left on your side, kiddo. So you better wise up and stop asking questions! Just do as you're told!" Three problems with that; first, he was not the only one left; he was the only one there to begin with. There had never been people on his side, which was probably why it was so easy to get sucked into this mess; he had nothing to lose and everything to gain. Second, wising up would involve more questioning of course, that was a given in any situation. And, lastly, he only listened to one person, and that was himself. Sure authority figures made the rules that he had to obey, and he would never dare of questioning them; but he despised being treated like someone's dog.

"Whatever, I'm busy." Pushing past the teacher the Odagiri boy stormed into the Student Council room. He loathed that despicable man and everything that he stood for. Alas, he was necessary to obtaining his future goals, so he would have to put up with him for a bit longer. Honestly though, he really felt as if his time could be better spent looking into the troublemakers at school who wore pants rather than skirts. With a muffled sigh he motioned towards the Vice President. "Can I speak to you for a moment?" His voice was low this time, not filled with conviction like the past accusations; for his heart simply was not in it. "I have a question about the incident at the start of this week." The girl merely nodded awkwardly as she strolled over, dark hair pulled up into two loose pigtails that dangled around her shoulders. "Where… where were you at the time it occurred?" There was no need to flat out point the blame at her, and he certainly did not need the entire council to see this. It was almost embarrassing this time; at least the last two people had been punks, this girl was a lip gloss wearing finger painting goodie-goodie.

Her face seemed surprised at first, then it quickly contorted into one of disbelief, and finally subtle fury. "You're not accusing me of smoking, are you?" Poison dripped from every word and it was almost enough to make his skin crawl; almost, not quite. Truthfully she seemed a bit foolish getting so upset; all he did was ask her a simple question. He could have been looking for a witness for all she knew. Fixing a strand of hair back into place he merely stared expectantly at her. If she had nothing to hide then she would be agreeable, right? There should be no problems here unless she chose to start one. "What the hell Hidetoshi! What have I ever done to you!" With that scream the entire room stopped to stare quizzically at them. Wonderful, he just loved having an audience, not. So much for feeling sorry for her, what an annoying girl! All she needed to do was have a polite conversation with him; but no, oh no, that was far too much to ask for. How dare he expect her to be civil with him just because he had showed her the same courtesy? These people made him sick, every last one of them.

"Why would any previous offenses to me directly need to be brought into question, Miss Vice President?" The entire notion seemed completely unrelated and most ridiculous. It was as if she was trying to insinuate that he had chosen to question her out of some personal vendetta. That was ludicrous; they had never even so much as spoken before, he was merely doing his job. However she was make it incredibly difficult to do so. A shame this girl was in her last year of high school, he would have loved making her relinquish her power once he became President. "If you are not willing to produce an alibi should I just read between the lines and infer that you don't have one?" Why else would she be resisting like this? It was easy enough to say 'I never left class that day' or 'I was home sick', she was being extremely unreasonable and dodging his questions… and Hidetoshi would have none of that. True he had not been willing to suspect her at first but, now, he almost felt as if the drama starting girl deserved to be the culprit. People like her were just a hindrance to the learning environment anyway; the school would do fine without her.

A hand shot out to smack him across the face but luckily, by now, he was prepared for such an outraged response and easily caught her hand a few inches from his cheek. A light sigh escaped his lips as he raised a condescending eyebrow. Really now, had it come to violence? What was with this place these days, everything was falling to pieces and he could find no way to stop it. This was easily the worst week of the entire year; and here he thought that it was going to be the best, ironic, no? "Let me go!" As he complied she took a few steps back and another few girls ran to her aid. Surely they did not think that a fight was going to break out; there was no way that he would ever hit a girl. That being said he would also not allow her to attack him so, if necessary, he would be forced to take some defensive action. Why was everyone getting so riled up about this anyway? Of course it would not feel good if someone accused him, but he would get over it in time, and so should they. "You know I didn't do this you teacher's pet!"

Oh he knew it, he had from the start, but her actions certainly made him wish that she was behind it. A strict punishment would do this girl some good; make her remember her place, a lesson that he knew all too well. How did someone like her ever get elected to such a position anyway, probably through popularity, how disgusting. She knew very well that she could show up late or not at all, do absolutely nothing for the school, and everyone would still love and praise her for being so wonderful. "Just cut it out you guys!" The freshman representative cried from the back of the room. His childish face, covered in scattered freckles, showed that he was clearly in a state of panic. "I didn't sign up for this! It's not fun anymore!" What a fool, running a government was never 'fun'; if he wanted something amusing or entertain he should have taken up basketball or something. This was serious business and there were no place for children who were just going to cry about matters that did not involve them. Hell, judging from the Vice President's expression, the underclassman should probably leave right now for she seemed ready to blow.

Casting aside her hands, fingers spread widely, to show that she was not about to pick a physical fight with him, the girl approached once more until she was right in his face. Sure her heels gave her an inch or two on him, but it was nothing major. As she glared down hatefully at him the only thing that was visible was her own reflection in his dark orbs. This was all just so ridiculous, he didn't even have the willpower to match wits anymore. If anything he was just tired, so very tired. Thank goodness it was Friday and he could go home and rest. His schedule was hectic and therefore left very little down time even on the weekend, but right now he felt as though he could sleep for a week. "I don't understand!" Of course she didn't; what were they talking about again? To be honest he had begun to feel a bit lightheaded and her voice was now ear-piercing. With every syllable it felt as if someone was hammering a metal stake into his head. Slamming her pointer finger against his chest the Vice President decided it would be a fine idea to involve the rest of the committee in her one-sided debate. "Why are you doing this to all of us, you traitor!"

That was a statement, not a question; there was literally no room for him to answer and she knew that. Normally such a cowardly spin on things would cause him to lose his temper, or at least mock her for the failed attempt at a proper sentence. But not today, not right now. Each time he blinked the world seemed to slip further and further away, and his eyelid were so heavy. Why hadn't he noticed this sooner? Sure everything would eventually take its toll on his body, he knew that; but it was not supposed to have happened so quickly. Hopefully he was not running a fever, which would set him ridiculously far back from his goal. Luckily he was the great Hidetoshi Odagiri, and he never got sick. Hide "How many times do I have to explain?" He shot back, dusting off his jacket where she had placed her brightly colored finger only moments before. Who knew where that had been, how dare she touch him. And just what was with the hot pink nail polish anyway, they weren't in elementary school anymore; it just looked trashy, she had to know that. "It's like I'm talking to a moron…"

Now the arrogant teenager had always heard that people pulled their hair out when pushed to their limits, but he had never witnessed it before now. Fingers locking tightly in place the Vice President began to pull at her ponytails like some sort of preschooler who had just been told that they were going to miss out on snack time. To think, this was the sort of students his classmates had elected to watch over the school. Why, they would be better off not having a Vice President than sticking with this incapable fool. She probably spent her free time watching reality shows and had some new pop song as her ringtone; because that was what showed leadership skills. Oh you were voted homecoming queen? Cool, let's make you Vice President, that isn't an idiotic notion or anything. So what if that was the way things were done around here, in no time at all he would show everyone the light. Positions would be given to those most deserving; and as for popularity? Well, he would just have to change what people thought was the 'in thing'. "Why are you accusing ME? The cigarette butt was in the BOYS' bathroom, right?"

That was true; it was the same point he had tried to bring up to the Physical Education teacher not twenty minutes ago. But then he had been scolded for insulting a higher up by questioning his judgment so, as much as he wanted to shoot back some clever response, he really had no idea. The man had been very vague from the start; however, Hidetoshi knew that someone with his intellect should be able to know actually what he meant without being told the specifics. The fact that he did not was merely a shortcoming that he did not plan on announcing to the entire Student Council. "Can you prove that it wasn't a girl who left it there?" Maybe the culprit had been concerned about getting caught in the first place, after all they were in a school building; so they decided the best place to hide was in the opposite gender's bathroom? No, that sounded ridiculous even to him; so then, what was he missing? This all seemed to make so much sense to the P.E. teacher, perhaps the coal haired boy was missing a vital piece of the puzzle? Yes, that had to be it. He was being kept in the dark about some detail that had been excluded from the report, a detail which made the offender clearly female.

"There's just no reasoning with you!" Some boy, perhaps the same one as before, he wasn't really paying much attention by this point, shouted and the classroom nodded in unison. They could do, and believe, whatever they pleased; he was not going to force anyone to agree with him. Turning on her heels, and boy were those things inappropriate for school, the Vice President whipped around and stormed out of the room followed closely by her cronies. Good riddance, they were just starting trouble anyway. Now that they were done perhaps the rest of the group could actually accomplish something. That seemed highly unlikely though for the remainder of the council was also packing up to leave. Really, just, really? They were leaving because of this? Come on, there was work to do! Surely they were not all going to use his small quarrel as an excuse to go home early. But, as everyone pushed past him to get to the exit, it appeared as though they were going to take the easy way out. Ugh, and to think, people actually wondered why he despised them so much. Well… not despised; deep down he didn't hate any of them. They were just lost, and it was his job to find them.

Slouching down into his chair the head of the Disciplinary Committee rested the side of his head on his thumb, the rest of his fingers curved between his forehead and brow. "…What a bunch of Neanderthals…" Perhaps he should head home too, it was not as if he could have the meeting by himself. The sudden conclusion would even give him more time to sleep and that could never hurt. Still, was he really helping the school at this point? Everyone was getting so upset, blowing things out of proportion, and even skipping out on council duties. A sudden slam caused his hand to whip down from his face and his orbs to scan the room for an intruder. Instead he found the back of the newest addition to their team, standing in front of the filing cabinet. She appeared to be staring intently at it, as if the sound had even surprised her. The rusty old thing did have a nasty reputation for sticking when pulled out all the way so, in order to get it to actually close, one had to give it a good push; nonetheless the redhead seemed startled by the acoustics in the small classroom. "Minako-kun, were you there the whole time?"

By now she had managed to turn around and had an expression similar to a deer caught in headlights. Not that he had ever seen a deer mind you, he had lived in the city all his life; but he still knew the saying. The fingers on her right hand brushed lightly against her left arm, as if searching for stability. Surely she was not worried that he was going to snap at her as well? Depending on how much she saw it should have been clear that he was just trying to reason with that airhead of a Vice President. Turning his head a bit to the side he noted that her bottom lip was quickly turning a scarlet color. Was she biting it? Perhaps regretting not escaping when the rest of the committee had? Well, if she wanted to leave then she could still walk out right now, he was not about to stop her. At times like this it was best to be left alone anyway. He had never relied on other people for support, emotional or physical, and was not about to start now. Drawing in a sharp breath the girl's eyes sunk, as if she was glaring at something. "They were all mean."

Mean? So he had been a bit harsh but definitely not, wait, did she say 'they'; as in the other members? That was, unexpected to say the least. Not that it was unwanted; in fact, it was like music to his ears. The usual smirk returned to his lips as he merely waved it off. "…Don't hold it against them… They're like children: they just don't understand." Yes, he was content with thinking that was why they were all so against him; not to mention that it was as close as he was ever going to get to admitting that he had upset them for his own selfish reasons. "Sooner or later, they'll see the light. Then, they'll respect me." It would be a glorious day, one for the record books. Unlike this past week, oh how he would love to forget everything that had occurred in the past five days. Quickly glancing at her face, to avoid making awkward eye contact, Hidetoshi noticed a slightly sorrowful look. Oh no, that would not do, he would not allow her to pity him. "I'm not isolating myself; I'm just being aloof. Sooner or later, someone always gets hurt in any relationship."

For a second he could have sworn her face fell a bit but, as soon as he blinked, it was back to her stoic focus. "…I guess I'm just preaching to the choir, though. I apologize." It was useless to keep explaining these things to Minako, she had never questioned his judgment before. If anything she was the one person he could rely on in Student Council. Not that he would ever allow himself to rely on another person but, if worst came to worst; it was nice to have her there. He wasn't a good friend, never had been, but sometimes he wished that he could make more of an effort to become one. Thankfully it seemed like she understood, even if she did not quite know the whole story. The lights in the room were beginning to dark, which seemed a tad peculiar seeing as how it was not nearly time for the sun to set. Maybe it was going to rain soon? That would be terribly inconvenient considering he had not brought an umbrella. How embarrassing considering he always prided himself on being prepared for worst-case scenarios. "…There's no reason to have a meeting if no one's here. Let's go."

"Alright, just let me put these away." Picking up the large stack of papers from the nearby table the crimson eyed girl hurried back over to the terrible file cabinet. For the past few meetings he had often seen her utilizing her free time to arrange those papers; wasn't that their secretary's job? Still, he applauded her for the effort. Hand locking around the handle she pulled tightly to keep it from jamming. Only problem was that it was still loose from earlier, and the added pressure sent her toppling backwards. Damn it, damn it, damn it. School property was to be respected, and he had never had anything against the long tables that filled the Student Council room; in fact, he rather liked their uniformity. But using them as a liftoff point was ideal for making it to the girl just in time to catch her mid-fall. Grabbing her left arm he whipped the newbie in right before she reached the point where the strength of gravity would have been nearly impossible for him to intervene. "M-MY PAPERS!" The shrill voice caused him to pull back immediately and release the girl as she watched on in horror as the stack of papers disassembled in the air above them and began to rain down. "No! Ugh, why am I'm such a klutz!"

Running back and forth around the room the girl attempted to pick them up in the correct order; however there were clearly too many for that to be even somewhat possible. Every now and then she would stop and scream a bit, or insult herself, and, after a few moments of watching the entire thing unfold, a light smile found its way upon his face. It wasn't his usual smirk though, rather, a full-fledged smile. And, when she even went as far as to kick the file cabinet he even found himself laughing. The sound was foreign even to him but… it felt, nice. Sort of like a heavy weight had been lifted off of his back. Bending down to assist her with picking up the papers he discovered that it was actually difficult to stop laughing after one started, and her pitiful curses at the cabinet were just fuel to the fire. As he reached for yet another paper their hands accidentally crossed and the chuckles instantly ceased. Silencing her complaints the girl quickly withdrew her hand and reached for the last paper conveniently located next to it, as if that was where she had been headed all along. Grabbing the paper he hurriedly handed it to Minako, stood back up, and cleared his throat. "We better go."

xx

So he was wrong, even the wonderful Hidetoshi Odagiri got sick on occasion. That rainstorm on Friday had certainly made sure of that. To think, he had only been exhausted before; why not throw in having to talk home with the heavens pouring down on him? It was just a perfect way to end the worst day ever. Alright, so that was a tad dramatic, but being too tired to get out of bed often made one a bit more over-the-top than usual. At least now he was going to make up for the past week's lack of sleep; see, he could look on the bright side of things. Yes, he would dedicate today to resting up so that he would be up and rearing to go first thing tomorrow morning. Imagine what he could accomplish after taking that much time to heal. Now he just had to close his eyes and get back to- "Hide-chaaaaaaaaaan!" The cheery voice called from the other side of the door but, considering her volume, she easily could have been next door and he still would have heard her. "I heard you sneezing when you came in last night so I brought you some soup dear."

If anyone else had been in the boy's room they would have seen his already pink from fever face grow ten shades darker. He was a young adult for chrissake, what was she thinking; making him soup as if he was a child still? If he wanted it he could prepare it himself, but he would never admit, even to himself, that he wanted something so silly. All he needed was rest and, besides, if his mother had made it from scratch then he was better off going without it anyway. She really was a lovely woman, but a dreadfully awful cook. Coughing a few times to make sure that his voice would not crack when he spoke he managed to get out a quick response. "I'm fine mother, really. I am merely working on a research project. Don't be surprised if you don't hear from me for a while." Even if he, god forbid, wanted the sop he was in no position to get out of bed and go get it. It was better that he just rest up anyway; perhaps he would have more of an appetite tomorrow. Right now the only thing he wanted was to go back to sleep.

That was easier said than done though for, now that he was up, his mind was reeling with thoughts of the past week. Just why had he accused so many people? It seemed highly illogical now that he thought about it. Indeed, even he would have questioned his own motives had he been fully aware of what he was doing. But there were no excuses, he had overestimated his body's capabilities and his perception skills had suffered because of it. However it was a mistake he was determined to not make twice. Everyone got one free pardon in his book, and now Hidetoshi was using his. The next time he messed up he would have to take responsibilities for his actions. Hopefully there would not be a next time though. With any luck the culprit would soon be brought to justice and he could put all this nonsense behind him for good. In a week or two someone else would make a scene and his classmates would forget all about him. Life would go back to normal which, although it was not the ideal situation, it was better than this last week at school had been. At least he was free to do whatever he so pleased before, when no one was paying attention or really cared.

It was times like these that caused people to question their existence, right? That seemed terribly morbid, and beyond depressing, so he was going to skip that part of the worrying process and move right onto the dissecting life part. Besides, if he did not exist then his mother would be all alone, and that would be terrible. Not to mention that Keisuke would be out a best friend if he just disappeared; and who would want to be friends with that kid? The brunette always ate all the cookies his mother baked whenever he came over. A small frown flickered across his face at that. Sure she was not an excellent cook, but her baked goods were about the only things that were actually edible. On a more important note the student body would be left to fend for themselves, even if they were not aware of it. He could never do that to them; especially not now that he knew they were not a lost cause. Minako had proven time and time again that people could be shown to seen the light. She was a prime example of what he wanted his classmates to become; to leave her now would be ridiculous.

The flushed color returned to his cheeks once more and the dizziness soon hit like a ton of bricks. He needed to rest; all this thinking was beginning to hurt more than just his brain. As his dark orbs slowly began to flutter closed one last thought danced into his subconscious. That girl, she wasn't afraid of him, right? Sure she often seemed a bit jumpy when he was around, but he had given her no reason to be fearful. Still, she had retracted her hand very quickly the previous day; so he hoped that he had not offended her somehow. A good leader was a gentle one, a kind one; there was no way that he wanted his presence to scare her. If anything he might go as far as to say that he enjoyed the helpful girl's company, so it would be foolish to run her off now. Not that he was looking for another friend or anything like that, but he saw no problem in keeping her around for a bit longer. Hell, if there were more people like Minako maybe… he was tired; he really had to get some rest. Rolling onto his side the boy buried half of his face in the soft pillow and was soon fast asleep.

xx

Glancing at the leather strap on his wrist Hidetoshi mumbled a few coarse words under his breath and hurried up the stairs to the school's foyer. As he slid into his seat a good three seconds before the bell for homeroom rang his mother's scatterbrained voice echoed through his head. "I didn't want your alarm clock to wake you up, Hide-chan, so I turned it off. You should really stay home today; you still don't look like yourself." That woman was going to be the death of him at this rate. He had never, repeat never, stayed home from school and he was not going to start now; not when there was only a year and a half of high school left to get through. He had made it this far, it would be ridiculous to give all that up now. A perfect attendance record was a public demonstration of how devoted he was to Gekkoukan, even if it was only available to whomever was bored enough to look through all those files. Still, the information was out there and available if anyone was interested. Perhaps he would use it in his campaign next year; he had been with the student body from the very start, it was a wonderful addition to the list of reasons why he should be elected.

First period economics, exactly what he did not need starting off his week. What, were they going to learn how to sew or something? That was far from being a man's work; not that he was sexist, it was not a woman's work either. Rather, he felt as though there seamstresses and tailors out there for a reason. They loved to create new things and should be respected for it. The average person was never going to be as good as someone whose life passion involved sewing; so why bother learning? Sure it would be nice to sew a button back on his blazer, but he could probably manage that on his own without any instruction from Ms. Kanou. Rumor had it she stuffed her bra to err, yeah. That was the type of faulty parents wanted teaching their children; yes, I'm sure they would all be delighted to hear that. Oh well, it wasn't as if anyone but that boy from the other junior class was actually looking. What was his name again? Ken…Kent…Kej..ah screw it. It didn't matter anyway. The point remained that she was wasting her time; if she wanted to find a guy she was going to have to look elsewhere because the male teachers around here were either married or, well, odd.

Second period with Ms. Ounishi was no better; even though science was one of his better subjects. It was just all very dull, and the fog setting in outside was not helping to lighten his mood either. At least he felt charged and ready to go for Student Council later. Sleep was really a miracle; it had such wonderful rejuvenating properties. Perhaps he had been going about things the wrong way. Instead of trying to fit as many things as possible into one day maybe he should break it up a bit to ensure that he really got those seven hours a night again. Of course that seemed impossible now with this cigarette case always on his mind. There had still been no leads; but really, could he expect any? It was just a discarded item left behind in a room that was used by at least half of the people at school, and accessible to all of them. The more Hidetoshi thought about it the crazier it seemed to eliminate everybody but the culprit. It could take weeks, if not months; heck, he might be doing this until he graduated at this rate. And what if the person was a senior this year? They would have graduated by the time he discovered it was them, so a punishment would be out of the question. All that hard work would have been for nothing.

He shook his head a bit, but not so much as to alarm the students that were sitting nearby; he would never let it come to that. If he did not find the perpetrator within the month he would give up; it was as simple as that. However it should be noted that he was not a quitter, this time limit was merely to inspire him to work twice as hard. When the last bell rang he gathered up his notebooks and headed to his locker to store them in the dark crevice until tomorrow. Something about the uniformity comforted him; having a routine was always a wonderful feeling. Head held high he approached the Student Council room, ready to make a new impression and start off the week on a good foot. Unfortunately that seemed impossible for, as soon as he walked in, the other members of the council picked up their belongings and hurried out. "Ouch." He mocked as the last girl hurried by, nose stuck high in the air. Well excuse him Miss Snooty, don't take into consideration the fact that they had never officially met or anything; no that was completely irrelevant to her dramatic exit.

Whatever, they could go through life doing whatever they pleased; so what if they all had responsibilities to the school? Their time could be better spent going on dates, searching videos on youtube, and updating their statuses on facebook. Oh and that twitter thing, yeah, that was better than figuring out whether or not to increase the price of school lunches. Glad to see they had their priorities straight. If there was one fact that would eternally remain true it was that his top priority was success through effort and persistence. In the back of the room was a mess of papers left over from Friday's meeting. Poor Minako, she had spent ages putting those papers in order; and now they were nothing but a mess. If anything she was worse off than when she started. How infuriating that must be. If anything like that ever happened to him, well, Hidetoshi could imagine himself avoiding the council room for days in order to put off having to fix the stack once more. But that was where the two differed for, as soon as he picked up the top paper, in came the crimson eyed girl, a big smile plastered on her face.

The smile fell however when she noticed that he was all alone in the vast room, chairs scattered about carelessly since everyone had left with much haste. "Sorry, it was a quick meeting. Everyone left already." Not exactly the truth, but not exactly a lie either. There had been a quick meeting; at least, he assumed they must have done something before he showed up to rain on their parade. And they certainly all had left in a hurry, so that part was correct. "It's actually kind of nice not having those hyenas around." It came across a bit harsher than he meant it but, in actuality, he was only trying to assure himself of this statement. Was it really better without the other members of the Student Council around? Sure all they did was bicker and disagree with him, but they still contributed to the tremendous workload. If it was just the two of them every day, which was starting to look like a very possible situation, then they would fall ridiculously far behind until the entire committee became obsolete. Once they were no longer doing any good for the student body they would be disbanded and have to return to their normal lives; and who would benefit from that, no one.

Swinging her book bag back and forth the girl glanced from him to the door and back again. "You're not going home?" She phrased it like an inquiry but it sounded more like a statement. Of course he was not going home, there was work to do. But he supposed she felt as though she had to ask. The Odagiri boy shook his head slowly and returned to examining the papers. Had she sorted these alphabetically? That would take ages! He did not have time for this nonsense, but it would be cruel to force her to do it again. Hell, it would be horrible to even suggest that she assist him with sorting them. It hurt a bit to admit it but, in the past week, she had probably done more to benefit the council than he had. How terrible, he was letting the case take up too much of his time; he was devoting too much energy to what should be a secondary priority. There was a small aching in the pit of his stomach, almost as if he had let her down by not working harder. Or, quite possibly, it was his fever returning. Though he had been feeling better for the majority of the day the moment Minako walked in heat had rushed to his face; oh how he hoped that he was not still running a fever.

"There's something I want to take care of before I go home." He muttered as he shifted through the papers to avoid making eye contact. For some reason looking up was making him feel nauseous, maybe he should have stayed home today. Still, he did not feel terribly ill; but his body certainly did have the common symptoms. A troubled look crossed his brow, but he caught sight of her staring at him and quickly played it off as nothing more than a concern due to the case. "About the cigarette butt in the boys' bathroom… I have to do something… soon." Time was something he had both a lot of and not enough. He could take forever if he so pleased; but the time frame in which he would be most likely to actually find the culprit was quickly drawing to a close. There was only a small window of opportunity after a crime was committed to find the person before leads went cold and evidence became old news. "…As you can see, the meeting's over, so you can leave if you want." For once he actually wanted her to go; the heat had turned into a headache and he felt as though he needed to lie down for a moment.

That didn't seem like it was going to happen though for the girl with an up-do tossed her bag on the nearest table and hurried over to the stack of papers. Picking up the next three she stared intently at them, a trademark smile making its way onto her lips. How could she be so ready to go? If anything she should be reminded of how much trouble this endeavor was causing her; but she was staring at the papers with new life, as if she had never seen them before. It was incredible to say the least. Before he knew it Hidetoshi was captivated by the rate at which she was making a new, smaller, pile on the closest desk. "I'll help out, too!" Help out? She was doing all the work again, and he would have none of that. Taking the next four papers, one more than her just for the internal benefit of topping her, he began to make his own alphabetical pile. Back and forth they went until the piles were nearly even in size. Her pace seemed to be slowing down though while his remained steady; thank you sleep, he would definitely not forget about this the next time he considered pulling an all-nighter.

"You're probably busy all the time too. You should take a break once in a while." As he polished off the papers, his stack now towering above hers, the head of the Disciplinary Committee could not help but feel a bit cheerful. A light, yet playful, pout plagues her face as she stared down at her own neat pile. She really wasn't that bad a person; in fact, she was not bad at all. There was something about her that he just could not place his finger on. "If you have the time, please stay and listen to my story." It came out before he could re-think the offer but, like an obedient puppy, she turned and sat on the top of the table. A bit disrespectful to the school but hey, he had stepped on one last time. "…" This was going to be hard to explain; but he had to keep his composure. Maneuvering his way over to the window Hidetoshi stood where he could look down at the courtyard. "A man without position, honor, or education… What can he cling to as he struggled through life?" Out of the corner of his eye he could see her face darken, as if pondering a riddle; still, there was no way that she would be able to guess the answer to this. "'Sincerity,' a man once told me."

"…Do you know what happened to that man?" This time Minako merely crossed her hands in her lap and gazed down at her slowly swinging feet. Good, had she actually taken a guess he probably would have ended the story and sent her home right there. "While gathering information for a story, a TV anchorwoman was injured on the job." She broke her leg while attempting to get a bird's eye view of a murder scene. The rocks below her had been worn away due to years of erosion and the cliff gave way. The fall was not from a great height, but it certainly was effective. "The executives for the TV station called it an 'unfortunate accident.'" Yeah, unfortunate for the woman who they fired because of it; you know, the mother of two with an unemployed husband? "But when a magazine learned they were hiding something, the execs pointed the finger at the script writer." Because script writers have everything to do with the way the environment works. That was truly a brilliant idea on their part. "They said it was the writer who had concealed the truth: he was made into a scapegoat." A light sigh escaped his breath as he clenched and released his fist a few times. "That man is currently serving time for perjury. It was he who taught me the meaning of sincerity." Biting his lip the power-hungry teenager attempted to hold back the bitter laugh that was intensifying in his throat.

"In today's society, the weak are preyed upon by the strong. You can't survive on sincerity alone!" The newbie recoiled a bit at the sudden anger in his words and he instantly regretted raising his voice. He had already troubled himself with the decision not to scare her off; and what did he do two days later? Yell, not at her, but in her general direction. Dropping his voice back to a whisper he gazed out the window at the people below. The elementary school appeared to have let out for the children were pacing on the sidewalk, waiting for the crosswalk to say it was safe for them to cross the street. "…As for me, Minako-kun, I'd like to build a corporation where everyone is treated fairly." He knew he could not change the entire world but, at least, if he ran a business he could keep a more hospitable environment; one where people felt welcomed and did not have to worry about being thrown under the bus by their bosses. "But, to do that, I'd need enough power to make my vision a reality." How lame must he sound right now? It wasn't as if he was pouring his soul out to her or anything, but his words were still incredibly heartfelt. As the last little boy crossed the road he noted the sun beginning to set behind the far off, inner-city, buildings. "…Well, seems like we're done here. I'll walk with you to the door."

The walk was a silent one; however it was not nearly as uncomfortable as one may have thought. Rather, it was calming, peaceful even. There was nothing expected of them, no one had to force a conversation topic; they could just co-exist. By the time they got to the door he found himself going so far as to run his right hand through his gelled hair. It was just a nice environment; if all socializing could go like this then he would truly consider spending time with other people. Unfortunately it never worked that way, people were so demanding in this day in age. Oh and don't even start on cellphones. How many times had he tried to hold an intellectual conversation with another student only to have them whip out a cellphone and begin texting? Approaching the door he quickly took a few long strides so that he was in front of her to open the door. With a small, and comical, curtsy Minako hurried through it and onto the outside steps. When he did not proceed through after her she turned around and frowned. "You're not going home too? Please tell me you're not going back to that stuffy room all by yourself."

With a small shake of the head he took a short step back. "I still have plenty to do. Without the extra help we're two days behind." Actually, by this point, it was more like three. There was no way that he would ever be able to play catch-up, even if he was there working at one hundred percent all night long. But he might as well spend another half hour merging the two stacks and putting away the papers. That would make her happy right? It would be like a nice little surprise waiting for her on Wednesday. She would come in thinking there was still work to do when really she could just relax for once. How strange, normally he would not bother with something that did not directly affect him; yet, somehow, he felt even better knowing that she would be happy. His heart skipped a beat and he felt the wind knocked out of him as what he was feeling dawned on the egotistical boy. He was becoming a good leader! He was choosing to help his subordinates over himself and was actually at the point where he found pleasure in that! Oh this was wonderful; he had not been expecting this for at least a few months after he rose to power, but this was truly a blessing.

"You're always so busy Hidetoshi-san," She muttered, bright orbs casting themselves down to the ground. "I-I'm sorry you had to escort me out." In the same way which she had curtsied earlier he offered up a light and overly formal bow. It seemed to be enough to please the girl for she took off down the stairs. Once at the bottom she turned and waved dramatically as if she was flagging down a plane. How childish… before long he found himself waving back, just not as powerfully. She definitely was not a waste of his time; in fact, there was no better way he could see spending it. "See you soon!" In two days, less if he talked to her during lunch. He had never ventured outside of the room before but he knew that some students seemed to like to go out into the halls and converse. Normally he just ate with Keisuke and they discussed what was going on in their lives; and by that he meant schoolwork and his friend's hatred of the life his father was thrusting upon him. It certainly was not light subject matter, so there was no way she would want to join them. Besides, she had to have her own friends to sit with; she did seem like a very likable girl. As he turned back to the inside of the school his eyes narrowed a bit at his own carelessly smiling reflection in the granite floor.

"What…are you doing… Where are your priorities?"

* * *

**A/N: **One day I'll find time to edit these… perhaps when we stop having Calculus quizzes at eight o'clock on Monday mornings.

neko- haha I thought the same thing! As soon as I got that far in the I was all 'wait…gym teacher… pictures of you in your gym uniform… oh god!' It was both extremely creepy and totally hilarious .However I won't really explore that until chapter nine, and even then it will only be a sentence of two. I figure Hidetoshi never found out about the pictures or he would have gone all private dick on the student body again.

savingthegeneration- when in doubt blame it on sleep deprivation! As a college student I can honestly say that it makes you do some crazy things. Right now it's 3:45 am, I just wrote a paper that I'm not sure makes sense, and my hand is twitching from six or seven.. or eight.. cups of caffeinated tea. At this point I want to accuse random people of smoking… and erasers are starting to look like lighters haha

Fervour- I AM LOVING YOU JUST TO LET YOU KNOW. Seriously, your all caps comment made my day 8D

**Next Chapter:** Something To Believe In! Once you've found your light it's not exactly easy to let it go. That's why… that's why he won't bring himself to do such a terrible thing!


	4. Something To Believe In

**A/N:**. Ohhhhh my god! It JUST dawned on me that they go to school on Saturdays as well! Ugggh I'm so stupid! Sorry everyone, I really dropped the ball there! If it upsets anyone I could go back and fix it, it wouldn't be too hard; I'm just sooo disappointed in myself. DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ATLUS OR ANY CHARACTERS OR THIS TOTALLY AWESOME SONG FROM A VERY POTTER SEQUEL.

* * *

_To think  
it's been here all along  
somewhere to belong,  
and a reason,  
a something-to-believe-in_

_-AVPS_

The good part about being in the swing of going to school on a daily basis was that the days began to blur together after a certain point. He was just going through the motions, retaining information, and studying; there really were not an abundance of opportunities to mix it up. That was fine however, he loved order. If, for some unknown reason, he did decided to change up the routine he could always take an orange rather than an apple to accompany his lunch and ask Keisuke if he wanted to eat out on the roof. Why someone would want to eat out there where a gust of wind could easily ruin a perfectly good meal was beyond him, but a lot of the students seemed to enjoy it more than remaining in their classrooms. If anything the closest Hidetoshi had come to breaking his system in the past month was stopping to talk to the Vice President before he left school on Tuesday. Irrational as it seemed he had gotten himself to the point where he could, respectfully, ask for her to attend the Wednesday Student Council meeting. The terribly obnoxious girl had wanted an apology or something, he stopped paying attention the moment she brought up his past actions; but there was no way he would ever admit to being wrong. She was the one who overreacted, perhaps he was deserving of an apology as well. But he did not want one, so she had lucked out.

Now lunch had never been that important to him, merely a brief period of downtime in which he could gather his thoughts; but for his closest friend it was the best part of the day. "Man, oh man Hide-chan! I have so much to tell you." The normally calm teenage could feel his cool exterior melting away. His eyes turned to mere slits as he glared daggers at the boy who had drawn up a free chair to the side of his desk. He knew letting the brunette come over was a bad idea; ever since his first visit to the Odagiri household Keisuke had adopted his mother's sickening nickname as part of his everyday vocabulary. If it was not embarrassing enough at home he was easily mortified ten-fold in public. "Annnnyway," He continued as he pulled back a bit to give the fuming boy some space. "As I was saying. I'm seriously thinking about going to school for music, you know?" Oh not this again; the boy changed his mind about his future more times a week than Hidetoshi cared to count. His friend always wanted to do something 'new' and 'exciting', apparently neither of which described the future his father had laid out for him.

As he positioned himself so that it looked as though he was listening the boy allowed his bleak orbs to scan outside the classroom through the door's windowpane. Student, student, teacher, student; at last a glimpse of red caught his attention. "I'll be right back." Getting up from his desk he left the bewildered boy alone in stunned silence. Of course that would not last long, as soon as he realized that there were two lunches on the desk he would be more than content for the rest of the break. Exiting the classroom he gazed in the general direction of where the hint of color had first been spotted. She was a few feet down the hall, chatting with that Yukari Takeba from the class next door. Wait, that had to mean that she was also in that class, right? Yes, that actually made a great deal of sense; unlike Miss Takeba's long pink sweater which he was certain was not approved in the school's handbook. No matter, he would simply wait until they were done to… to what? What was the point of all this? It was just dawning on the head Disciplinarian that he had nothing worthwhile to say to the girl. She had walked by so he automatically got up to intercept her before class started again. That was beyond strange, really, what on earth had he been thinking?

Deciding that it would be best if he just headed back to class Hidetoshi moved to turn around right when Minako spotted him. Her face lit up and hand shot into the air for another drawn out wave. Well she certainly enjoyed making a spectacle of it all, didn't she? Not that it upset him, oddly enough he found it rather endearing. Of course it would have been foolish for him to wave back in front of everything; they might get the wrong idea. Wrong idea, that what, he was happy to see her too? Actually now he just seemed thoughtless for not returning the gesture. Good grief, this was definitely not one of his best ideas. From where he was he could see her converse hurriedly with Yukari before exchanging quick air kisses to each other's cheeks. He chuckled, how childish. Still she came running over just as quickly and offered a warm greeting. "Oh, hey… Are you coming to the Student Council meeting today?" Was that honestly the best he could do? Ugh, he was so stupid sometimes. Certainly, given all the time he had just spent leaving the classroom and waiting for her, he could have come up with something better than a question he already knew the answer to. "I have an announcement to make about the smoking incident."

Nice cover, not; of course he had something to say about that, he always did. But it was the best he could come up with on the spot; he would hate to look like a complete moron in front of her. Hell, he would hate to look like an idiot in general. But Minako was one of the finest examples of a good student that he had seen in a long time, so it would be especially troubling to show her a weaker side. It must have been a believable explanation though for she nodded and grinned up at him. "I plan to." Of course she did, she came to every meeting; what a stupid question, he would be mentally kicking himself for days to come. Still, there was a more pressing matter on his mind; for, as he gazed down at her bright and innocent face, the same stomach churning feeling from before overcame him and the egotistical boy could feel the blood rush to his face. Was he possibly contracting another cold? Or was this the same one as before, lying low until it found the optimal time to strike? Either way he had loaded up on cold medicine after the second wave hit during Monday's Student Council meeting so he should have built up some defense to it by now.

Tilting his head away from the girl he fiddled a bit with the ribbon around his neck. This unpleasant feeling was increasing by the second and he felt as though he needed to lie down. Had he not been aware of how much of a nut the school's nurse was he may have even considered going to see the man. But there was simply no way that he could take anything that magic loving substitute teacher said seriously. He might even go all medieval on him and attempt to bleed out the 'bad spirits' that were poisoning his blood or use some other ridiculous, and extremely painful, method like that; ancient history was not exactly his forte. "I see… Well, I hope you decide to come." Bringing a hand up just under his nose Hidetoshi gave a small nod of the head before turning back to his classroom. "Excuse me." Perhaps he was just letting all the pressure get to him; he had read somewhere that people who lived hectic lives fell ill more often than those who took time to relax. As the disciplinarian headed into his classroom he took a last look at the back of the scarlet eyed girl who appeared to be almost skipping back to class; how nice it must be to be so at ease with life.

For some student at Gekkoukan however life was about to take a terrible turn for the worst. As he retraced the crown in the margins of his notes Hidetoshi recalled what the P.E. teacher had told him at the end of school yesterday. It was an almost unfathomable punishment for the one who had discarded the remnants of the cigarette; and it even sent a chill down his own cold spine. The one thing all students were guaranteed was a wonderful education that would serve them well throughout their entire lives, no matter where they ended up. But, for this student, it looked as if they were going to have to settle for a nameless public school with no reputation in the business world, lovely. They would be condemned to a boring middleclass life with no chance of ever redeeming themselves all over a stupid mistake they made in high school. It was horrible, really; even he did not approve of taking it to such extremes. If anything they needed a good talking to and some therapy, but not this; even the very worst of the student body, like those punks he had talked to a few days ago, did not deserve this.

Grabbing his papers the coal haired boy stood at the front of the room and addressed the council who, surprisingly, were all in attendance. Maybe he had not given the Vice President enough credit; or, perhaps, he should stop underestimating the power of mass-texts. As he cleared his throat the group, who had been chatting only seconds before, fell to a hush. This wasn't so bad, perhaps they could be trained to be just as obedient as Minako. No, that made her sound like a puppy or something, and she definitely was not an animal; she was an outstanding individual who he was fortunate to know. After all, who else would be sitting in the front row giving him two small, almost secret, thumbs up under the table? "The other day, I was talking about the cigarette butt in the boys' bathroom…" A few students in the back rolled their eyes but he pressed forward; once he said this there was no going back. So what if he was supposed to keep it a secret, they had as much of a right to know as he did. "The teachers wan the student to be expelled as soon as I find out who it is."

From beside his fiery haired friend Chihiro let out a small gasp, quickly followed by a confused, and startled, "Huh…?". After the initial shock set in chaos broke out. Students were yelling things, assaulting him with questions that he clearly could not know the answer to, and complaining loudly. A few girl had broken out their cellphones and were, without a doubt, texting the news to the rest of the class. He gave it three minutes before the entire student body found out. But good, they should be prepared. This was a very serious matter and, if he could say so, a tad insane. Deciding that they were getting nowhere the VP dismissed the club and the students filed out, nervously staring at each other. Now, as much as he agreed with the fact that they would probably not get much done with everyone worrying, he could not help but feel as if she was just trying to get out of work again. No matter, his little star was still in her seat, hands folded in front of her as if awaiting further instruction. They were certainly becoming quite the team around here; not that anyone would know considering they were always alone.

"Expulsion, huh…?" This entire endeavor was exhausting, not to mention a gigantic waste of time. They could not expel someone for such an act, it was ridiculous! Sure there had to be some consequence for their action but was this really the best way to go about it? What lesson could be taken away from this aside from 'the school system is run by a bunch of bullies'? Slipping down into Chihiro's now empty chair he rested his head on his right fist and gazed at the blank chalkboard. "So, Minako-kun, what do you think?" He inquired, not bothering to watch her expression to attempt to analyze it. She always said whatever she was thinking; and there was no dancing around the point, when she said something she meant it. "…About the smoker's punishment, that is." Why had he added that; wasn't it obvious what he meant? What else could he possibly be asking her opinion on? Of course, he could think of about a million things to ask her, but those were all locked away within the confines of his mind, so he needn't bother addressing those concerns now. He could hear a light murmur coming from beside him and it did not take a genius to realize that she was thinking out loud.

After a few moments of the noise that somewhat reminded him of a honeybee collecting pollen the girl slammed her fist into the palm of her open hand. "A strict punishment." So he was not alone in that belief; but where did strict end and cruel and unusual begin? Surely she could not agree that the deserved to be expelled over one little mistake. Yes, he thought it was little; compared to attacking a teacher, vandalizing the building, or setting the chemistry lab on fire it was a very minor offense. He had not seen it before because he had been so obsessed with the power finding and sentencing this criminal, no student, would get him. But that was exactly it; they were just a student like him. Some scared boy or girl with some serious issues, trying to cope the only way they could; and here he was, hunting them down as if they prisoner 24601. What if he actually found this person, then what would he do? Could he possibly bring himself to turn them in knowing what sort of fate awaited them; was he really that heartless? But… wasn't it the only way he could ever hope of getting to the top?

"I think so too." Hidetoshi's emotionless voice rang out though the empty room. It truly was going to be a defining moment when he encountered this person and, to be honest, he was still unsure of exactly what he would do. Never before had he ever felt as torn as he did right now. However, if he kept talking like this he would worry the star pupil next to him. So, turning slightly and tapping her on the nose he offered a more lighthearted expression. "I think once I catch the culprit, I'll give him a good lecturing." With a joyful laugh she pushed his hand away and nodded. This solution seemed to please her and, for the most part, it suited his needs as well. "After all, the point is to try and prevent it from happening again." Not to kick them out of school, what help would that be? "It'd be great if I could get people like him to change their ways." He would not force them to put down the one thing helping them cling to their sanity, but perhaps he could help them seek treatment. "I don' sympathize with students who break the rules, but…" That was certainly what it was starting to sound like. Since when did he have a caring bone in his body? Normally he would be thrilled with this sort of thing; in fact, he would even see them out once their expulsion was finalized. "…will kicking the 'bad' kids out really make school a better place?" This was all beyond troubling, and there was nowhere he could turn to seek assistance in this matter; it was all up to him.

A soft hand made its way onto his shoulder and he instantly felt embarrassed for opening up; it was not her problem to worry about, how selfish he had been to unload this burden on her. "I don't know why I'm complaining. It's really not like me. I guess I'm just confused because I feel so powerless." A pitiful excuse but it would have to do for now. He did feel powerless; either he sold out this boy, and the rest of his humanity, or he lost everything he had been trying so hard to achieve from the get-go. It was a lose-lose situation and he was still unsure which was worse. "I'll have more power if I do what the teacher wants and win his trust. Then, people will have to listen to me." All he had to do was turn this student in and next year's Presidency was as good as his. She would benefit as well, of course; his new companion would have a high position in his new school order. "Watch me, Minako-kun! I'll work my way to the top." He really had to stop opening up like this; it was getting to be a nasty habit. The lights dimmed in the room and artificial ones soon took over, meaning that evening was quickly approaching. "I have some work to do. I'm going to make a list of suspects." A new list, a better list; one that the Physical Education teacher had no say over. "You should go home, Minako-kun. …And avoid dark roads; you never know who's out there."

Oh no, he was starting to sound like his mother. But it was true; there were all sorts of shady people in the city at night, and if something happened to her… That would be beyond terrible; he would have failed her as a leader. At the idea of some harm possibly coming to Minako his fever picked up again and he felt as if he was going to be sick once more. "But you never let me help out with the difficult tasks." The girl complained as he offered her a hand up. Upon seeing that he was not budging on the matter she raised her hands in defeat. "Fine, fine; I'll go home since you clearly don't want me here." What? That wasn't it at all! If anything he was worried about her safety and wanted her to be safe at home before it got to be too late. He could spend all day with her if time permitted it. "Just kidding, I know you're only looking out for my best interest. But seriously Hidetoshi-san, you're such a worrywart; who would have thought!" With another sugar coated burst of giggles she struck a dramatic pose. "I can handle myself. After all, I'm invincible!" Picking her bag up off the floor the transfer student motioned towards the door. "Walk me out?"

xx

By the time Friday rolled around Hidetoshi had become a frequent viewer of webMD as he was trying, without success, to figure out exactly what was wrong with him. Judging from the results it was appendicitis, celiac disease, anemia, or drug allergy. But, considering his appendix had been removed in his youth, he had never had a problem with glutton before, the iron levels in his blood were perfect, and he was not currently on any prescriptions, all of them seemed highly unlikely. Something had to be to blame for the unexpected stomachaches and lightheaded feelings though; he was not an electronic that was simply overheating and would recover if left alone for a given amount of time. Perhaps he might inquire as to if anyone in the council had any idea what it was since his so-called best friend refused to diagnose him stating that it 'was giving in to his father's will'. That was all fine and dandy, but could he pick a time when the Odagiri boy was not in agony to rebel? That plan went right out the window when an announcement came over the speaker during last period. It stated that club activities were canceled for the day, marvelous; and their reason? None was provided, of course; what was he expecting?

Grabbing his school jacket out of his locker the boy decided now might be a good time to re-consider seeing the school nurse. Even if he refused to let the crazy man treat him he could still question him as to just what might be wrong with his insides. "Come with me." The deep voice pulled him back to reality, and into the eyes of the delightful P.E. teacher who seemed extremely upset; just what he needed, a happy note to end his day on. Of course it seems a bit odd to just follow the man like some little duckling, but by now he knew better than to ask questions. As they turned the corner the shy council member looked on in surprise, shifting a bit from side to side. What was Chihiro doing? Surely she had not been watching them; but, she seemed a bit scared. As they entered the office hallway he assumed that they had to be headed to the faculty room. Why could they not speak about whatever this was in his classroom on second floor? There was no one else down here; it felt a little eerie, and that was never a good thing.

"Close the door behind you." This demanding attitude of his was really starting to get on the boy's nerves and it took a great deal of effort to keep from telling the man off. He had to be about to say something extremely important, and very secretive, or else he would not have taken so much precaution to make sure that they would not be overheard. Strolling behind the messy wooden desk the young man slid into his chair and motioned for Hidetoshi to sit in front of him. What a pure power shot; he had seen them in movies but never thought that anyone would be foolish enough to try one in the real world. This man had to be more of a chump than he had originally suspected, marvelous. Tossing a manila envelope across the desk the man crossed his arms over his chest as he waited for the teenager to open it. A devilish smile danced across the cruel man's lips as he waited for him to slide out the file and the picture that went with it. Perhaps he should consult webMD again, for this was what he always assumed a heart attack felt like. "Add her to the list."

There was no way he could be serious, this all had to be some bad practical joke. Yes, a small test to see if his sense of humor was still intact after all that had been happening lately. But all the time they had spent together had been in the Student Council room, with no one else around. Unless he had been specifically spying on them there was no way that the Physical Education teacher, or anyone else for that matter, could possibly know that they had become friends. That was too much work to go through for a joke though, right? It would involve wasting so much time; and The P.E. teacher always complained to the class, which was extremely unprofessional, about how he had almost no social life now thanks to the hours he had to put in teaching, god forbid. So then, he had to be serious about this... he had to actually want him to add Minako's name to the list! "No." It was firm and assertive, but inside Hidetoshi was ready to punch the cocky grin right off his ugly face. There was no way that he could even consider the thought that someone might think his most treasured underling was a criminal.

Grin becoming a sinister frown the man attempted to stare him down; but to no avail, there was no was in hell that he was going to back down on this matter. A vein began to bulge on the teacher's forehead and it was soon apparent that he was becoming extremely angry. "I am your teacher!" No, he wasn't. As soon as he had made such an error in judgment as to suspect Minako there was no way that Hidetoshi could see the man as anything better than the algae that grew on the underside of lake rocks. "You will do as I say!" Oh no, not any more. He was done with taking orders from this man; he wanted no part of any system that accused innocent, wonderful, girls of being delinquents. Picking up a nearby pencil the man thrust it across the desk at him. "Now add her!" Did this idiotic teacher really think that raising his voice would help his cause any? All it was succeeding in doing was making him look foolish and, had there been anyone in the hall, it also would have landed him a surprise check-in with the principal at some point in the upcoming week.

"No!" This time his voice was also a bit more forceful. In a single sweep of the hand he tossed the paper, picture, and envelope back at the man behind the table. And, not so literally, he also threw back any respect he may have once had for the instructor. There was no way in hell that he was ever going to add her name to that wretched list; even if nothing would ever come of it. He did not even have to check it out; all he had to do was scribble her name on the bottom then cross it out, or even erase it as soon as he left. But that was not the point; writing her name on the list at all would easily be the worst thing he had ever done, and he had done some pretty horrible things in his young life. It would be unforgivable, even if she never found out; he would not be able to live with himself. He would not allow her to be used as the scapegoat for someone else's crimes. Come to think of it, he was also starting to doubt the existence of this crime in general. From the start the details had been hazy, and all the P.E. teacher ever wanted him to investigate were girls, the likes of which would never be caught dead in the boys' restroom.

Slamming his hands down on the table the older man rocketed up, attempting to be a looming figure, though it definitely was not working. Hidetoshi no longer saw a figure of authority, he saw a foolish person with their own hidden agenda; the likes of which he would soon get to the bottom of. If anything this was the real offense that he should be investigating. What sort of teacher had it out for his students? Come to think of it, they weren't even his students; the girls had a separate Physical Education teacher! "Don't be so stubborn! Just put her name on the list!" Running a hand through his slick backed hair the boy noted that it was slightly trembling; not with fear mind you, but with rage. He really should keep his voice down, what if someone else heard their conversation? Not that he cared what happened to this horrible excuse for a person, or himself for arguing with a teacher; but if they heard Minako's name then she might end up getting in trouble anyway. He had to choose his next words carefully, try to make the man see before he decided to take matters into his own incapable hands and call her down to the office. There was absolutely no way that he was ever going to let this teacher be alone with her for even a second.

Clearing his throat loudly to draw the P.E. teacher's focus back to him Hidetoshi motioned for the man to sit back down. "Minako-kun was chosen by the President to be in Student Council. She's very responsible." It sounded sincere and calm, but the scowl on his face was a bit more difficult to hide. The man did, however, slide back down into his seat; hands clenched tightly in his lap as if he wanted to reach over and strangle the teenager. But he had to remain calm, use reason to win the man over. If he got all huffy again who knew what sort of drastic measures he might take? The girl, who he could only hope was safely back at her dorm or out shopping with Takeba, could be in serious danger if he snapped again. That was why he had to keep the teacher here, make sure his anger was directed at him rather than her. "That's why I don't consider her a suspect." It made sense; why would the class president recommend a new addition, who she lived with and therefore knew the daily activities of, to help them out if she was a delinquent? Surely he could not argue this point.

"There are witnesses who saw her wandering the streets at midnight!" What? Minako was outside that late, on a daily basis? Oh goodness, that was definitely not safe. What if something had happened to her? As much as he hated to admit it the boy felt a terrible need to go apologize to his mother for ever being a minute late in returning to their house. So this was how she must feel, god; it was like he had been kicked in the face. They needed to have a talk, now; about what was appropriate behavior and what was extremely dangerous. Apart from what she had said the other day the scarlet eyed girl was not invincible, she was a skinny little high school student who could easily be- oh he didn't even want to think about it. "A high school girl wandering the streets at night… there's only one explanation for that, isn't there?" Gazing curiously at the man Hidetoshi could not help but wonder what exactly he meant by that. "I thought you hated students who don't follow the rules…" Wait, he could not be insinuating that she was out there causing trouble, or worse! This was taking it way too far!

"I don't doubt that there were witnesses, but…" Just what sort of witnesses had he managed to scrounge up, and why was he looking for any? This was all beyond questionable, especially the teacher's motives. But… what was she doing out there at such a late hour? Although desperate to know the answer to that question he knew, without a doubt, that it was nothing bad. "I believe in Minako-kun. So, I'm not adding her to the list of suspects." He had faith in her, and nothing this man said or did could ever change that fact. "…Besides, I thought we were talking about the smoker." This caused the older man's ears to redden a bit; yes, he had gone off on a bit of a rant, had he not? As far as the Physical Education teacher was concerned he was merely here to discuss that petty little crime that had been committed a few weeks ago. "Your accusations of bad behavior… Are you trying to slander her?" It was terribly irrelevant to the entire process, so just what was he trying to get out of all of this? "What exactly do you intend to do to her using this list?"

"…" No answer, just what he expected. There was something wrong with all of this and it was his duty, as a leader, to protect those under him. What had this man been planning to do to the girl; blackmail her into getting her name off the list? But, what could she possibly have that he wanted; Minako was a new transfer student, she had not been around long enough to uncover anything he wanted to stay hidden. "In the end, you're just an adolescent interested in the girls too, huh? I never thought you'd fall for a girl…" Pardon, surely he had heard the man wrong. He was simply protecting someone dear to him, there was nothing more to discuss. Besides, he did not 'fall' for people; he was too busy with his own affairs to bother with romantic nonsense. If he ever got a girlfriend, or wife, it would be to please the voters during a local election or something. But, for now, he was far better off on his own. The very idea of him having a crush, it was too stupid to waste his valuable time bothering to commenting on.; so, just this once, he would let it slide. "…Forget about our deal."

How funny, he was just about to say the same exact thing. He wanted no part of whatever this man was up to, no thanks; it was not worth the possible gains. The risk outweighed the benefits, the corruption outdid the good. There was no longer a 'for the good of the school' mentality, only a sinister plot to… to what? Even Hidetoshi was unsure of exactly what the man was trying to do, but it certainly was not good. "…If you'll excuse me, then." Putting on his jacket in silence the coal haired boy did not even bother turning back to get a last look at his fleeting success as he exited the room. He had just thrown away the one chance he had to make something of himself but, at the same time, he felt so much lighter. That meant he had made the correct decision, right? Turning to the right, in order to exit the building and head back to the residential area, he came face to face with the same girl they had previously been discussing. Her lips were trembling and she instantly averted her gaze. As the truth began to dawn on him he could feel himself growing increasingly uncomfortable. "…You were listening?"

Sangria locks fell in front of her face as the small figure before him began to shiver as if she were cold. "I'm not the culprit." The voice was weak and empty; it was so unlike her. Normally she was carefree and full of life, but now she was a mere shadow of her former self. Hidetoshi's fists tightened at his sides, this was all that man's fault. If he could have just kept his voice down then she would not be upset; for some reason he felt the overwhelming need to storm back in there and beat the living daylights out of him. Taking a deep breath she finally seemed to find the courage to look up at him; but god, he wished she hadn't. Her bright eyes were dilated and the skin at the top of her cheekbones was beginning to get a soft pink tint; it was enough to break his heart. She couldn't cry, she just couldn't; poor thing. To think, she had just moved to a new school and already she was being harassed by the faculty; no one deserved that, especially not Minako. That was it; he was going to figure out what the P.E. teacher was doing and take him down no matter what.

"I know; you don't have to tell me." This new found determination, it was only another sign that he was satisfied with his decision. "That teacher thinks it was you… Did he really pass his certification exam?" It was intended as a joke, sort of a way to cheer her up; but the girl merely let her eyes drop back down to the hallway's floor. She had to feel so alone right now, and he knew from past experiences that was the worst feeling in the world. "Don't worry, Minako-kun. Even if the whole school turns on me, I won't sell you out." They were friends now. Although still unsure of exactly when it had happened he knew that they were. On a more serious note he crossed his arms over his chest and spoke firmly to her. "…Be careful of that teacher." Not that he was ever going to let her meet him now; he would do everything within his power to make sure that they never came within twenty feet of each other. "You don't seem to realize why he's got his eye on you." Not that Hidetoshi knew either, but it defiantly could not be good. Taking a piece of paper out of his pocket he scribbled a few numbers on it and handed it to the sulking girl. "…If something happens, call me." Although she took it the girl did not seem to acknowledge that it was even in her hand. She just kept gazing at the ground, probably trying to keep in the tears. He had to give her credit for trying to remain stoic; but one could only keep it in for so long, so he had better leave before she broke down. "See ya, Minako-kun."

Giving her a great deal of space he passed by and headed towards the lobby. "H-Hidetoshi-san!" The blow came almost instantly as she impacted with his back, hands wrapping tightly around the loose parts of his school jacket. "Thank you!" Normally he would have protested greatly to being touched but the tears were now clearly evident in her voice and he truly felt sorry for the girl. How awful must she feel right now? The people who were supposed to protect her and look out for her best interest were turning on her. Teachers were meant to be there to guide their students and keep them safe, not accuse them of being felons. She was such a sweet girl too; it probably hurt to realize that the world was not made of sweets and rainbows. He wished it was though, as illogical as it sounded, if only so that she would smile once more. The tears hit his uniform like raindrops and, once more, the uncomfortable feeling returned. Indeed, he was beginning to feel more than a bit embarrassed by all of this. Pulling away from her trembling figure he turned around to stare awkwardly at the child who had now buried her face within her hands.

Clearing his throat to get her attention, considering it was really the only way he knew to draw another's attention to him, Hidetoshi attempted to reassure her. "It's really no trouble. You should know by now that I would never leave you all alone." There was no way, even if she told him to get lost; he was too involved at this point. Outstretching a hand he gently pet the top of her head. Removing her hands from her face she used the backs of them to brush away the tears that were clinging to her cheeks and eyelashes. Giving a light nod she acknowledged his previous statement; good, she should know that it's true. "Come on now, cheer up. I'd love to see that radiant smile of yours." It took her a minute to regulate her breathing but, at long last, she managed to offer up a frail smile. Good, but not passable for normal standards. At this rate she was easy prey and, now that he knew she was out late at night, he was beyond worried for her safety. "Much better; now might I escort you to the train?" Offering her his arm she seemed a bit hesitant but soon linked it with her own and grasped it tightly with her spare hand. It was a good thing she had accepted, had she not he would have been forced to follow her there anyway to make sure that nothing happened.

xx

For the remainder of spring life was pretty regular. He was not sure exactly when it happened but soon Minako had worked herself into his daily schedule. Three days a week they would spend an hour, sometimes two but he always sent her home before it got too dark, after Student Council just hanging out and talking about the most trivial things. Normally it would have bothered him but, whenever last period rolled around, the egotistical boy found himself looking forward to their conversations. Sometimes they would go to the library and he would help her with homework; but, although she always insisted she needed his assistance, he knew for a fact that she had one of the highest grades in her class. Not that he was ever going to bring this point up, for that would mean they could no longer study together; and who didn't like to feel useful? The days it rained were the best, for they could whisper and laugh without having to worry about being scolded for their noise level. Otherwise they had to sit at the table in the far right where their voices did not travel as much. Not that there were many people in there, most days they were almost completely alone.

He had also finally discovered what the fascination was with eating lunch on the roof. Once, or twice, a week they would go out there during the free period and just stare at the city below them. It really was a sight to be seen; which was strange because he had seen it before, but never had it been so bright and vivid. Once she had even convinced him that it would be fun if they tried standing on the other side of the fence that surrounded the area. That had not worked out exactly as planned… but they had sworn each other to secrecy on that matter so that was that. Normally they would sit on the furthest bench from the door, overlooking the scattered cars, bikes, and people walking their dogs, and just eat in silence. It was nice, and he was content; there really was no reason to be so cynical all the time. His best friend had once commented on the change and deemed that it was due to 'Hide-chaaaaaan being in looooooooove'. A quick slap upside the head put an end to that though and they continued on with their lives. Going to school certainly had taken on a new meaning.

Now they weren't exactly at the point where they giggled, did each other's nails, or had a secret handshake; but being friends with Minako certainly did make him feel a bit more childish. She got so excited over the smallest little things, and upset over nothing. Once, much to his embarrassment, his mother had stuck some of her trademark cookies in his bag and, when he awkwardly pulled them out at lunch, you'd have thought they had turned into golden roses from the expression on her face. Apparently a girl at her dorm was an aspiring chef, but she was still pretty awful; so edible cookies were a sight for sore eyes. At least they had not gone to waste, but Keisuke complained for days about not getting any. Another time there had been a deceased bird on the roof and the scarlet eyed girl appeared as if she was going to break down and cry right then and there. So, after getting gloves from the school nurse, he had helped her bury it in one of the rooftop garden boxes under the pretense that its nutrients would help the plants flourish; but, in reality, he doubted it would really do much.

Days came and went; then days turned into weeks and finally to months. Before he realized what was happening it was late July and they were being forced to say their goodbyes. She would be residing at her dorm all summer while he was being forced to visit his aunt and uncle in Tokyo. Marvelous, what budding friendship didn't need a long-distance struggle to overcome? He was kidding of course; not that they had ever hung out outside of school, but it would still be nice to be in the same city as her so that they could grab coffee or something sometime and chat. But that would be far too easy, so he had gone home and packed for what was sure to be a most boring summer break. Of course, he could not blame his mother for wanting to see her sister, it had been ages since they had last gone to visit; and now, with his father's current situation and all, she must feel extremely homesick. So he had gone without complaint and even put up with her singing old show tunes the entire drive to the airport. Thankfully that ended as soon as they pulled into the terminal or he may have hung himself with his necktie.

The first day was extremely dull, meaningless greetings, hugs, and a single 'my how you've grown'. But what else could he expect? Their house was nice, a bit too suburban for his liking but it was quaint. Their yard was impressive, especially since one rarely saw grass outside of the school and parks back home. He retired early to his room and was about to breakout the textbooks when a soft tone came from his bag. A dangerously soft smile broke his tired expression as he read who the text was from. From then on they texted an unbelievable amount; which was beyond ridiculous seeing as how he had always despised cellphones and found messaging others to be a step backwards technology wise considering they could just as easily call the person. Still, her smiley face filled messages got across her personality to a T, and he could not help but hear her voice echo the words she had written. It was wonderful, really; until he woke up one morning and came to his senses. What was he doing? Walking around with his fingers flying across the keyboard like some giddy little schoolgirl? It was ridiculous. So, removing the battery, he tossed the remnants of his cellphone in the bottom of his suitcase.

For the remainder of the trip he busied himself with schoolwork; writing papers and doing mathematical equations rather than thinking about the girl who had ruined his flawless mentality. At night he could go out and gaze up at the stars, not that he would ever want to, but the option was still there; unlike in the city. He assumed that was what his mother was doing every night when she left at about ten. He could hear the door to her room open and, a few moments later, the one to the kitchen; but he never bothered to follow her. As different as they were the two did have some similar traits, and one was that they liked their privacy. He had too much on his mind by the time he was free in the evenings anyway. By midway through August he had run out of homework and was at a loss for things to do. Sure he had brought a few books to read when the boredom set in, but he was too displeased with his own actions to relax. Just what had he been doing at school? He was paying far too much attention to that new girl; attention that should have been directed at his studies.

It may have been since late May that they were talking, but he still felt as if they had become chummy far too quickly. On the last day of vacation, as he was packing his assorted literature away, he reassembled the dreaded phone. Fifteen new messages, great, just great. Granted four were from the brunette, who was complaining about being stuck working as his father's receptionist during the break, but the rest were from that girl. The first two were as perky as ever but, by the third, hey had a darker sort of tone to them. By the fifth she had inquired as to if he was mad at her, the seventh through ninth were apologies, and the final few were to make sure he was not hurt. If he had ever felt guilty it was now. So, regrettably, he sent a lie back; that he had lost his phone a few weeks back and had not retrieved it until then. If she sent a reply it never came, but it was for the best. He could not afford to waste his time building what, social links with his fellow students? He had to prepare for senior year which was only a few months away. He had a lot he needed to achieve before next spring.

When the first of September rolled around he had gone to school under the assumption that she was out of the picture entirely. But, when the first Student Council meeting came, there she was, sitting in the first row, smiling as brightly as ever and things slowly fell back into place. He tried desperately to distance himself from her for a bit, but it proved to be quite the difficult task. What was he supposed to do when she asked for help on her homework, ignore her? And as for lunch on the roof, it would be impolite to turn down such an offer. So life returned to normal, or as close to normal as it could get; they still did not exchange texts. However she never brought it up, so he decided it was best to just let the past go and pretend as if it had not happened as well. They were fine once more, and he regretted ever doubting the importance if their friendship. Without her clumsy humor he doubted he would smile as often; of course he would have about twenty more glasses considering she always seemed to find a way to knock his over during lunch. But, all in all, he was more than content. He was happy.

**

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A/N: **Fun fact about this chapter, I wrote it in two days instead of doing homework..yaaaaaaay. Anyways it got to be like one in the morning the first night before I called it a break. Normally I can work a lot later than that but I misspelled the word jacket about ten times and decided that I better get some rest. Not that anyone cares; I just like the fact that I couldn't spell such a basic word, even with spellcheck.

Fervour- really? I can have one? Yay! But… do I have to feed it? I'm not very good with pets…

Cielle- what are you talking about? Clearly he just has a fever that randomly takes effect when she's around haha

STG- I was really torn between having her be a strict woman with a tight up-do whoo always wore business attire and spoke formally. But that sounded soooo boring; so I went with a ditzy, apron wearing, cookie maker whose food is like poison. I wonder where that image came from… coughmymomcan'tcookatallcough lol

**Next Chapter:** Wanted! Rooftops, lighters, and more uncomfortable situations await our young hero as he attempts to discover just what lies within his heart. One thing is for certain though… he could definitely get used to this.


	5. Wanted

**A/N:**. Did anyone notice that I spelt disclaimer wrong on chapters 1 through 3? Apparently spellcheck doesn't work if you write in all caps. Anyway I fixed that nonsense, so no worries. I apologize in advance for the length of this chapter; I had a lot I wanted to accomplish in it and couldn't split it up because I would run out of song lyrics too early. The quotes on crushes are actually quotes from some snippets site; it was the first non-gender specific thing that came up when I googled it. So someone actually wrote that sappy stuff for world to see, it made me happy. DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ATLUS OR ANY CHARACTERS OR THIS TOTALLY AWESOME SONG FROM A VERY POTTER SEQUEL.

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_I've finally found it,  
a place where I'm wanted...  
This must be how it feels to have a home_

_-AVPS_

"I don't think we should talk anymore." Students sped by the two standing in the middle of the hallway; going about their own lives, finding friends to eat with, and hurrying to get the best spot on the roof. Normally they would have already been up there; she would be ranting about her day and whatever new game Junpei was addicted to while he attempted to salvage the many things she would carelessly knock over when her arms shot out dramatically to emphasize a point. But not today, he had been doing a lot of thinking lately and everything told him that this fooling around needed to end. It was really quite childish to be spending so much time with another person when he had his own things to look after. That was not being selfish, it was being realistic. His grades had not dropped yet but, considering he now had far less time to study, it was only a matter of time before they sharply dropped. And then what was he supposed to do, struggle to get them back up while still maintaining some sort of social life, no thank you. He would rather remain ahead of the pack rather than find a place at the back.

Hitting him playfully on the shoulder the girl smiled brightly. "Haha, very funny Hidetoshi-san; now come on, let's go have lunch." Two hands firmly planted themselves on his back as she tried to force him to walk down the hall but he merely held his ground. Coming up beside him once more Minako pouted a bit as she gazed intently at him, as if searching for some sort of answer locked away behind his eyes. "Is something wrong? This isn't normally your type of humor." Indeed it was not, he preferred sarcasm and jokes that played at the expense of others. But that was because this was not a joking matter. He was dead serious; whatever was going on between them needed to end now. After a brief moment of silence the scarlet eyed girl took a step back and shook her head, as if disagreeing with the words he had left unspoken. "What's going on?" When he refused to make eye contact her feet moved another millimeter backwards; as if her body was readying itself for the blow her mind could not yet process. "If this is a prank it isn't nearly as witty as you might like to think!"

She'd like that, wouldn't she? For him to just say 'of course I was only fooling, we're too close for any of that nonsense', but that was exactly why he could not allow himself to say it. She was becoming far more of a problem than he ever intended; in fact, as of late, she was even keeping him up at night. Not that it was intentional of course, he didn't see how that could even be possible; but, never-the-less he was constantly thinking about her. Worrying if she made it home alright from school, if she was eating properly because he had noted that her eating habits were not exactly based on a nutritional factor, about that terrible teacher, and just what she was doing in general. It was downright disgusting; what was he, her father? There was absolutely no reason for him to be so concerned with the girl standing before him. Even as a caring leader he should not be as troubled by every little thing that could possibly harm her. It was exhausting to say the least; and probably the main reason his cold had not yet subsided. "You should know by now that I don't joke in matters that concern my personal life."

By now the initial shock was starting to diminish and confusion was taking over. He could see it clearly written on her face, the world as she knew it was starting to collapse around her. But she would be fine; she had lots of other friends. He always saw her walking to school with a small group; she would get over this in no time. Think about it; he was a poor excuse for an acquaintance anyway, at best he was another nameless colleague who only thought about himself. "But…I don't understand-" Waving a hand in a horizontal motion he cut her off right there. The girl's voice had already begun to tremble and, if she brought out the waterworks, he knew he would give in. There was absolutely no way to remain firm when someone you cared about was crying. Not that he cared about her or anything, that was ridiculous; he just did not want her to make a scene. Yes, that had to be it. If she cried he would look like a monster in front of the entire school and then he would never get elected as President next year; he was only looking out for his best interest.

"This ends here, understand?" From the expression on Minako's face one would have assumed that he had just smacked her, hard. Was this really such a bad thing? Sure she would have to make a small change to her daily routine but it was not as if it were the end of the world or something. They would go their own way, the earth would keep spinning in orbit, and everything would fall back into place. In fact, he would bet good money on the fact that she would not even recall who he was this time next year. Actually, take that back. She would know his name, the entire school would by that point, but she would recall some of the lesser details. "Don't make it harder for yourself than it needs to be." It really was not going to be so bad, she just had to keep her chin up and go with it. "You'll return to your life and I'll stick to mine. No overlapping." Reaching a hand out to pat her on the head Hidetoshi was taken by surprise when she slapped it away. A terrible smirk made its way onto his lips; good, if her resenting him made this easier on her then fine, so be it. "Now run along little girl, you're wasting my time."

If looks could kill he, and everyone around them, wouldn't have stood a fighting chance. "Fine! I didn't want to be your friend anyway!" Opening her metallic lunchbox, that looked positively 90's and had some sort of cartoon ponies on it; she whipped out a small package wrapped in light pink saran wrap. The slits, that once resembled puppy like eyes, were staring so powerfully at it that, if it had combusted on the spot, he would not have been surprised in the slightest. Was she going to crush whatever was in there? For a moment he was not sure exactly what he was supposed to think; this was all becoming pretty strange. That is, until the bag impacted his chest like a softball. Instinctively he put his hands below to catch it but goodness, she had quite the arm! "I made them with Fuuka for you, not that you deserve them, I just can't bear to look at them anymore!" Fuuka… it took him a moment to process all the stories she had told him about her dorm mates to figure out that she was the blue haired chef. And he used the term chef lightly considering she was almost always the antagonist of their cooking escapades. Turning on her heels the girl hurried back to class without giving him the chance to say anything; not that he had anything worthwhile to say, but it was always nice to have the last line.

Deciding it was best for him to move on as well Hidetoshi headed back to his own room. Or, at least, he attempted to; a not-so-friendly face blocked his path though. From behind his thick glasses Keisuke had managed the most unpleasant look he could muster which, granted, was not that awful. He was a nice kid with a good heart, what did he expect; to suddenly become some dark force that could make himself be listened to? Replying with a look of his own the boy instantly backed down and his stare was replaced with his normal perplexed look. Had he been watching them, again? Normally he did not catch him until it was too late; like when it was two days later and Keisuke just happened to mention that he liked the dumb expression Hidetoshi had when trying to start a conversation with her. But this was certainly not the time he wanted an audience. Granted he probably should have done it in a less crowded area but, honestly, he thought it would help keep Minako from letting her emotions get the best of her. Christ, that sounded horrible when he actually thought about it; but it really was for her own good. "Whoa, what was that?"

Tossing his friend the small bag of cookies he offered up a weak, yet terribly forced, condescending smile. "Nothing, just disposing of a minor problem; everything is fine now." Minor problem, yeah right; she was easily the biggest problem he had ever faced. Were things fine now? He felt about a million times worse than he had the day it dawned on him that the Physical Education teacher had merely been using him for his own secret agenda. Why was that? He was going back to his old life, pre-Minako; and he had not been upset with that style back when he was living it every day. Why was it only now that he was no longer pleased with just that? Surely he had not gotten soft. He was the great Hidetoshi Odagiri, he did not need others, he was fine on his own. People only slowed you down; hell, if he had not been wasting time with that girl who knows what he might have accomplished. Ouch… for some reason it physically pained him to merely think that his time had been wasted. There was no way that he could have enjoyed it, that was a childish notion; but still…

As the goofy looking boy opened the package his eyes instantly lit up to find that there were baked good inside. Some people were so simple; it was reassuring in a way. But, what would Keisuke have done had he been in this sort of position? Would he have decided to let her go as well? No, he probably would not have; his friend was far too sentimental for that sort of thing. So what, he was supposed to just waste his young adult life thinking about some girl? No way, no how; he had more important matters to attend to. He needed some time to think so, without another word, he continued on to the classroom. "Hey now," Placing a hand on his left shoulder the boy attempted to scan the head of the Disciplinary Committee's face for any sign of emotion. Not that he was going to find any; as he ran a hand through his slick backed hair Hidetoshi brushed him off and kept walking. Right now the only thing he felt was numb, with the occasional sensation of wanting to throw up. Was that all Minako was good for? It was almost funny, every time they hung out he felt ill; perhaps it was just another sign that they were not meant to spend time with one another. "Hidetoshi!"

Sliding into his desk the teenager merely gazed emptily at the notebook he had accidentally left open when Minako had rushed in and dragged him out for lunch. She had been so excited; not that she was not usually, to the contrary she was always extremely enthusiastic about everything, but today it had been a bit more than usual. A thought crossed his mind and instantly he felt queasy again. Those damn cookies, she was probably eager to give them to him. For weeks she had been going on and on about some cooking club she had joined; regrettably he never listened too much to those talks, they just could not hold his attention. But these had to be the fruits of all her effort and hard work, oh god. Not only was she looking for approval but she probably expected him to be happy and thank her; damn. What had she gotten in return for all her wasted energy? Let's see… he had told her never to speak to him again, been overly cruel to her because of some ridiculous idea that it would somehow make it easier on her, oh and he had given away the cookies. He was a terrible person; it was almost too much to accept.

However one persistent truth made it somehow tolerable. He had lost his focus and people were going to suffer from it. The P.E. teacher had taken him aside and told him earlier that day as he was leaving homeroom. Because of his over-the-top attitude and multiple incorrect accusations the case was being dropped. Not that he really cared by this point, he was off the case as soon as the man demanded he add Minako's name to the list, but being blamed for the failure was still annoying as hell. This was what happened when he allowed himself to be distracted; and he had sworn to himself at that moment that he would never let it happen again. It was why he had to cut all the loose ends, end any petty relationships, and return to being aloof. It was almost ironic; he recalled once telling the girl that all relationships ended with someone getting hurt. A shame it had to be her, for once he actually wished that he had been the one to get their hopes smashed. That was silly, right? Who would wish for that? No one wanted any form of pain, but he would far rather take it than dish it out when it came to her. How troubling.

It was nice, how life kept moving forward no matter what a person did. As the teacher began to write some meaningless notes, that he had already taken down from the textbook the previous night, Hidetoshi allowed his dark orbs to gaze at the stupid little doodle once more. It had always been a strong reminder that he had to keep his eye on the prize; but now it was just infuriating. Whipping out his pencil the boy began to erase the meaningless crown; although it took a great deal of pressure considering he had retraced it on multiple occasions. At long last only a small indent, where the crown had once been, remained. He had wanted so desperately to become someone of worth but, if he continued to feel like this, what did it matter? Ugh, this was all so confusing; before they met everything had been so clear, his dreams, ambition, life goals, everything. But now everything in his mind was all jumbled up, it was beyond chaotic in there. So he would just have to shut his brain off for a while, not think about anything other than school; it would eventually settle down, it had to.

"The inverse of the function is..." So turning off one's brain was harder than anticipated. Tuning out the teacher, however, was incredible easy. Every now and then it would dawn on him, and he would snap back to reality, but, for the most part, he was lost in a world all his own. Was there another way that he could have gone about this? Maybe if he had told her that they needed to spend less time together, rather than never speak again; but that would not have worked. She may have agreed to it but that would have been with the understanding that neither of them intended to actually cut back. Perhaps if he had stated his reasons she would have been able to see exactly why their relationship was a terrible idea? No, she would have protested every point he managed to bring up until he finally gave in. But backtrack, what was this relationship he kept thinking about? Was it a friendship, because there was no way that he ever worried about Keisuke like this; was that because he was a guy and therefore could handle himself? No, if anything Minako could take down someone like his friend in a second; maybe his worry was misplaced.

Now that they were no longer aquatics of any kind he did not have to waste his concern on her though, right? Yes, that made sense; so then, why did he feel even more tense now? Not only did he have no idea of what she was doing after school, but he also was unaware as to if she had recovered yet from their conversation earlier. However it was not exactly like he could go check on her. 'Oh, hey, I just upset you; but are you okay?' That would be a fun conversation, most likely ending with him getting slapped in the face. Not that she was one for violence, the media just depicted teenage girls as likely to slap at a moment's notice. Were they really that slap-happy? Hidetoshi had no clue; he tried not to involve himself in the conflicts of female students. Every now and then he would hear of a fight breaking out between two of them because one stole the other's boyfriend, or some pointless rumor, and there would be gruesome tales of hair pulling and nails digging into flesh. It sounded like something you would see on animal planet. So, as he exited the classroom, the boy tried his best to blend in with the crowd for fear of being drawn into one of said conflicts.

"Hide-chaaaaaan!" He stopped dead in his tracks and slowly turned to the abomination that had yelled his terrible secret through the school's busy hallway. Holding onto his glasses, so that they would not fall off as he ran, Keisuke came barreling out of his classroom next-door and began pushing through the congested mess of students. "I am not finished talking to you!" Giving his friend the darkest, most hateful, look he could possibly dream of achieving Hidetoshi followed the rest of his classmates down the stairs, not even bothering to stop by his locker because that would mean having to pass the boy. If the brunette wanted to be obnoxious and draw attention to himself then fine, but the Odagiri child would have no part of it. "Hey!" He heard the voice call over the banister, but he dared not look up for fear that it would only be an incentive for his yelling to continue. There was a loud groan followed by someone clearly slamming their hand against the wall. "Fine! But remember, I have your cell and house number!" Great, that was exactly what he needed; threaten him with calling the house because, obviously, his mother was going to pick up and want a nice chat. Oh, and while they were chatting why not just let every little detail about his personal life slip; she would love to get on his case about that.

He could hear her voice echoing inside his head as he hurried home from school. 'A girl? Really Hide-chan? Oh why didn't you tell me, I would have let you stay out as long as you liked!' And then when Keisuke just happened to mention their conversation today her carefree attitude would turn into one of sorrow. 'Oh darling, why are you doing this? You know it's a surefire way to end up alone.' Next would come the theatrical waterworks as she ranted about how she and his father were one day going to pass away and then he would be left all alone. That seemed to be her favorite spiel as of late, go figure. Placing his books on the stone wall nearby he attempted to button up the school jacket that he had grabbed off the back of his chair before exiting. Stupid Keisuke, making him leave before he was ready. Thank goodness he had all his textbooks with him during last period or there would have been a serious problem. From the other side of the wall he could just faintly hear the familiar voice of a little schoolgirl. Oh no, he didn't have time for this; not today at least.

Keeping his head down, and turned slightly to the opposite side, the boy attempted to sneak by the shrine. What was she doing there anyway? He could have sworn that after their last talk she was going to play it safe and head home every day after school, but apparently that was just wishful thinking. Whatever her reason for being there he definitely did not have time to listen. "Hey mister!" Drat; glancing upwards he saw the small face poking out of the space between two of the fence's bars. "Long time no see. Did you come back to play with me?" Yes, after months and months of having absolutely nothing to do with the little girl he had come to play with her. Of course not! Was she really that thickheaded as to think that him walking by meant that he wanted to hang out with her? Was that the thought process of an elementary school child, surely he had been more clever than that at her age. "That's really good because I thought I was going to have to play by myself." No, no, no, she was not using guilt against him this time; sorry sweetie but he was far too preoccupied to play hopscotch and sing-along hand games.

Averting his gaze the best he could Hidetoshi began to fiddle with his collar once more; it had become a dreadfully obvious sign as to when he was uncomfortable but whatever, she did not know that. "Uh, no; you see I actually have to head back to my house, my mother is waiti-" At the word mother the tiny girl broke into a fit of shrill sobs. What the hell world, really; he was already having a bad day, why not throw in an emotional child? He couldn't just walk away now, that would guarantee him a seat in hell; but why did it have to be today of all days? The coal haired boy took his good sweet time walking up the shrine's steps, somewhat hoping that it would give her a long enough period to compose herself; but, when he reached the top, he found Maiko collapsed to the ground with her face buried in her hands. Ugh, he hated it when girls cried; it always made him feel like scum, even if he was not the one who directly caused it. In this particular case he had though; something he had said set her off and now here he was, a junior in high school, standing over a second grader that he had made cry. Lovely, the perfect scenario to end a perfect day. "…There, there."

No way in hell was he touching her, but maybe the words would have the desired effect? They were what people said in situations such as these, right? He did not exactly have much experience in this field; normally he would just avoid conflict so that it never got to this point. The fact that he did not even know what he did wrong made it extremely difficult to figure out just what was upsetting her so much. Bending down on one knee to be more at eye-level he awkwardly poked her shoulder before quickly drawing back; children were evidently not his thing. "M-My parents are getting a divorce." She finally managed to get out between sobs before breaking down again. Well this was uncomfortable, what words of wisdom could he possibly have for her, none. His parents were, unfortunately, still together; so what insight could he possibly offer this sorrowful child? Raising her head to look at him the girl grabbed his sleeve and buried her face in it. Gross, it was about to be covered in tears and child snot; he would have to burn it. Still, her tears were not letting up; so it looked as if he was not getting out of there anytime soon unless he cheered her up.

"Would magical…" Oh man, what was that octopus crud called again? "takoyaki make it any better?" Shaking her head no Maiko made it clear that just buying her food was not going to cut it this time. Oh, so now she chose to be deep instead of stuff her face, wonderful. Part of him wanted to get up and leave right then and there, but the miniature fist clinging to his school jacket kept him firmly in place. Alright then, there had to be something else that she would enjoy; they were in a playground for chrissake. "Then how about we play here? Certainly there must be something you like to do." If she chose the seesaw he was out, that was a deal breaker, but he would be content to watch her go down the slide or climb the jungle gym. After much deliberation, and loud sniffles that he was positive left traces on his uniform, the small girl pointed in the direction of the swings. Not a bad choice, he used to like them because you could play alone without actually being alone. There were always other children on the swings next to him. But he never had to talk to them; they could both do their own thing while having the benefit of one another's company. "Would you like me to push you?"

That certainly got her attention for, bolting up from where she stood, Maiko took off to the closest of the three rusty old swings. "I'm a big girl! I can do it by myself!" Oh well that would definitely show him; yes, how upset he would be to have to sit on the bench and relax for a bit. At least she had stopped crying…and let go! He could leave now, oh thank heavens, this delay was terribly inconvenient. With any luck she would become so deeply involved in swinging that she would completely forget he existed and not noticed when Hidetoshi excused himself without warning. Unfortunately, as he examined her terribly unskillful style of pumping, it became evident that he was going to need to assist her at some point if she ever wanted to get more than three feet off the ground. "I suppose, if you really want to, you can help." Because he was just dying to push her on the swing; whatever, she probably needed to say it that way in order to not feel bad about herself. Rolling his eyes he headed over and got behind her. Hopefully she did not plan on soaring into the skyline because he was going to keep it at a safe height where, even if she fell, she would not receive any cuts or bruises.

"So what's the matter with you?" The braid sporting girl inquired after a few minutes of swinging in silence. Not only was she avoiding her own problems but now she was going to meddle in his business? She was beginning to sound like a miniature version of Keisuke, just what he needed. "You're not acting like the boy I met before." Why, because now he was even more bitter and cynical than before? She would be too if she just called off everything that had actually meant something in the last four months; but it didn't matter, there was no way that she could understand. Heck, if he even tried to explain she would probably figure that it sounded too much like a divorce; which, come to think of it, it did somewhat resemble. Then she would cry again and he would never get home, guaranteeing that his mother would be the one to answer the phone and then his entire world would be fubar. God, Maiko better pray that did not happen or he would be at her doorstep in a heartbeat to inform her parents that their daughter was at the shrine every day after school talking to strangers.

After much contemplation he decided that a one word answer could sum it all up pretty well. "Nothing." It was none of her business; besides, he knew what he had done was awful, he did not need her to enforce that truth. Of course she would take Minako's side the moment he even began to discuss it, they were basically the same person. And how could he possibly phrase 'I told her not to talk to me anymore and got rid of the cookies she made me' to make himself not seem like the bad guy; it was impossible. But the small girl merely stared down at him, clearly not believing that nothing could be troubling him. With a loud sigh he raised his hands in defeat. "Alright you got me. I… got into a fight…with myself." That was how it had all started, right? He began questioning his morals, then questioning why he was questioning them, and finally questioning why he cared that he was questioning his questions about everything he had once believed. It was very confusing so, in a condensed version, it was all Minako's fault. Everything was fine before she came along and wormed her way into his life.

A dark shadow cast over the girl's eyes as she gazed into the setting sun. "But your hurt someone's feelings, didn't you?" How did she know? Surely she had not already heard about what had happened, that was completely ridiculous unless she was a close friend of Minako's…and come on, what were the odds of that? "You look guilty, the same way I do." Playing the deep card again, eh little one? Well he was not about to stand there and be lectured by someone who did not even come up to his waist. If she wanted to think he was feeling guilty then fine, but he definitely was not. If anything she was starting to sound like the one with a guilty conscience. Perhaps projecting her problems onto others because she was too young to actually deal with them? Who knows, not him; and Hidetoshi did not exactly care to find out either. A pity she could not sense that though for she seemed destined to continue onward with her little speech, probably hoping to receive some sort of indication that she was doing the right thing. Too bad she was not going to find it here; he was too busy trying to convince himself that he had done what was necessary. "I'm actually supposed to be in class but I come here instead. My parents are wasting their money; but I don't care, they don't love me anymore so why should I?"

As unconcerned with her boring life as he was, Hidetoshi could not help but find himself frowning at this idea. "That's not very nice Maiko." To think, here she was every single day, wasting her parents' income that could be used for other, more important, things. Not only was it totally unethical, but it was also rude and downright annoying. At one point he believed that he thought having a child like this girl might not be so awful, well he was wrong. All children were equally as frustrating it seemed; fantastic, he would just avoid having them. That was easy enough to do considering, after today, he was completely turned off from ever having another relationship with anyone. People only brought trouble, and he had enough of that without added pressure to solve other's problems as well. Ceasing his pushing the dark eyed teenager walked around the swing to face her. "Your mother and father love you very much, you know that." Obnoxious as she was he knew that, although they were fighting, her parents loved her more than anything else in the world. How strange, there were such truly wondrous things out there; why would you ever like a whiny child more than all that?

Since he was no longer giving her the added boost needed to get any substantial height Maiko merely jumped off, landing a few feet in front of him. "Yeah, yeah. That's what she always says too." She? So she was bothering someone else with her problems as well, how very selfish. But that was what children were all about right, getting what they wanted no matter what it cost those around them? Picking up her bright red backpack the girl headed towards the steps. "I have to head home now, you should probably apologize. You're no fun when you're like this." As she scampered down the stairs he could not help but wonder if he was even fun to begin with. The first, and only other, time they had hung out he merely bought her food and kept his mouth shut; was that considered fun these days? Still, maybe she had been on to something, he really did not feel like himself anymore. In theory ending everything with Minako was supposed to make him revert back to his old self; in actuality he felt even more bitter and cruel than before, not to mention that he was extremely angry with everything and everyone all of a sudden. This really was not working out as hoped.

xx

The next day was even worse; he woke up feeling as though he had been hit over the head with a ton of bricks and could barely pick himself up out of bed. Alas, it was a Wednesday so school was a must; but really now, what harm would missing one day do? Hidetoshi slapped that poisonous thought away before it had time to plant itself in his brain. He had worked too hard through the years to throw away his perfect attendance record for some day of self-pity and reflection. So, gelling his hair back as always, the boy hurried down the stairs and out the door before his mother could say anything. Although still unsure of whether or not Keisuke had actually called while he was stuck spending time with Maiko Hiedtoshi had no intention of sticking around to find out. For the next few days he would avoid the woman until she forgot anything that she might have heard and this entire thing blew over. By then she would just be happy he was around to talk to at all and would not pester him with personal questions. Still, that was a pretty awful thing to do to her; maybe he should pick up some flowers on his way back from school to even it out.

Heading into homeroom he caught sight of a familiar shade of red down the hall. "Min-" Bringing a hand to his lips the boy attempted to silence the name that had, unintentionally, slipped out. The girl did not seem to hear, thankfully, for she continued onward; a blond girl was at her heels, but he could not remember ever seeing her before. Was she a transfer as well, he never did pay much attention to new students considering many of them went as fast as they came. Allowing his hand to drop back down to his side he could not help but feel the desire to follow her, to just talk to her again. It was crazy, he had been the one to call things off; shouldn't he be at peace with it by now? "Hey, Hide-chan, way to not pick up your phone yesterday." The brunette certainly did seem to come out of the woodwork sometimes. Sighing loudly the boy adjusted his glasses before speaking again. "You're lucky we're friends or I totally would have ratted you out." So he had called the house, of course, why wasn't the dark eyed boy surprised? But he had held his tongue, that was a shock; yet it was also a relief. He should have known that, when it came right down to it, his friend was only looking out for his best interest, and that did not include involving his mother.

Turning quickly back to where Minako had been only moments before he noted, with much disappointment, that she had already disappeared into the crowd. Nothing was more frustrating than a missed opportunity, and this was beginning to feel like he had missed out on the chance of a lifetime. A chance for what though, that was what he was having a great deal of difficulty trying to figure out. A prospect for friendship, no, he already had a best friend so that could not be it. The question was one that had kept him up for a majority of the past night and he would be damned if he did not figure it out today. "Keisuke, you've known me for a while." He began; perhaps he did need to rely on people after all; not all the time of course, but on selected occasions like this. "Do you think that, perhaps, I may have been…wrong?" He had never been wrong before, at least not that he was willing to admit; but there had to be a first time for everything. The boy had planned out every situation in his mind but had somehow missed out on the fact that he might actually be better off spending time with her.

A foolish smile planted itself on his friend's lips as he gave Hidetoshi the double thumbs up; as if he had achieved enlightenment or something. "About time you realized that!" He exclaimed loud enough for the entire school to hear. Withdrawing a bit, so as to distance himself from the noisemaker, the coal haired boy glared at him as an indication that he needed to drop his voice level if they were going to continue this conversation. "Sorry, I mean yeah, I do think you were wrong." He added, whispering this time; apparently he could only go from one extreme to the other, but no matter, this was definitely an improvement over screaming. "I also think that you have a lot to sort out, with yourself AND her." He knew very well that he had some things to sort out within his own skull, that much was clear to him; but what did he have to sort out with Minako? "Do me a favor; I know your phone gets internet so google 'crush symptoms' when you get the chance, okay?" Not this nonsense again, if that was all he could suggest then they were just going in circles. However the bell for homeroom had just begun to ring, so there was no time to protest. "Oh, and here; you'll need these."

First period flew by, second dragged, lunch was full of useless gossip and more nagging; so, by the time last period rolled around, he actually found himself toying with the idea of doing the search on his phone. This could be a drastic miscalculation; what if he ended up reading something he would have rather remained in the dark about? Drawing in a sharp breath he ever so cautiously hit the search button and was thoroughly unimpressed by the fact that the first ten options were what to do if you had a crush on a guy. Sometimes he really felt as though the world was screwing with him. The next site said that 'Crushes create feelings of yearning, passion, and desire. Crushes occupy your time. Crushes make your heart race, bring a smile to your face, and make your world a better place.' Oh gross, he felt as if he was going to be sick; scrolling back up he seriously considered just ending this quest before things got too nauseating. The next one said that 'Symptoms of a crush typically include butterflies in the stomach, inability to speak coherently or intelligently, nervous twitching, smiling a lot, being happier around him/her, wanting to see them, thinking about them when separated, wanting to spend time with the person often, inability to think properly, excitement over little touches/hugs/interactions of any kind.' Oh crud, this was beginning to look bad.

As he headed off to Student Council the boy began to dissect the statement piece by piece. Butterflies in the stomach, was this what he was feeling whenever she was around? It did seem to make a bit more sense than a reoccurring fever. He could always speak intelligently though, right; he did not stutter that was below him. When it came to nervous twitches he was fine, that is, except for his new need to fiddle with the ribbon around his neck. Though he would never admit it aloud he had been smiling a lot more as of late, and he was always glad to see her. It would be a waste of time to even bother trying to say that he did not want to see her and was not constantly thinking about the girl. His thought process had been reduced to nothing and, to be honest, he did enjoy the little pats on the head he would give her. This was a disaster. Thankfully she did not appear to be in the Student Council room, or he would have turned around and left before they had the chance to interact. Strolling over to the podium Chihiro handed him a report on the latest budget cuts; wonderful, who needed new software for the computers anyway?

Upon receiving the good news that, once again, the system would not be receiving an update multiple remarks of disapproval echoed through the room. Of course they were unhappy, anyone would be under the given circumstances; but at least they were not directing their displeasure at him for once, so it was a step in the right direction. "Sounds to me like they just don't care about us." The door slammed shut as the scarlet eyed girl sauntered over to her seat like there was nothing wrong with being ten minutes late. Honestly, what had gotten into her; that sort of behavior would not be tolerated, and she knew that. What was she trying to do, pick a fight with him? A few students nodded their heads at her statement; they clearly did not get the double meaning behind the words. She was not upset with the school, she was mad at him; probably disappointed too. Didn't he promise her that he would never leave her alone; yeah, nice job following through with that one. Anyway the daring young woman was now glaring up at him, as if cursing his very existence. So she thought he didn't care, 'eh? Well fine, if she wanted to call him on it then he had no choice but to stand up for himself.

"Maybe we're just interpreting their actions wrong." He spat back, eyes never faltering from the haunting glare before him. "Perhaps they are doing what they think is in our best interest as a whole." He stressed the last part for emphasis but, by now, the rest of the council was beginning to get the impression that something was not quite right. True what he was saying did not exactly happen to work for the given situation, what did new PowerPoint programs and word documents have to do with their well-being? No one dared speak up though for the tension in the front of the room was so thick that you could cut it with a knife. Hidetoshi and Minako's staring contest was going on its third minute before someone in the back worked up the nerve to cough. Breaking his focus away from the girl he turned it back to the issue at hand. "Anyway, we will just have to make do with what we have. I know it's not exactly the best situation but it cannot be helped." At which the sangria haired girl scoffed; how rude, this was no longer about her. But, had it been, the same sentiment could be used. It simply could not be helped. However the roll of the eyes she added put him right over the edge. "If you have something else to say, please, share it with the rest of the council."

Standing up she slammed her hands against the table and used them as leverage to lean over it and stare directly at him. "I will! It sounds to me like the school is just being selfish; they only think about themselves and don't even bother to take into consideration our feelings!" The room had fallen silent by this point; whether the students were scared or intrigued was still unclear, but either way they appeared to be captivated. "I hate this stupid school..." So that was it, she hated him; finally, it was about time. Everyone hated him these days, why shouldn't she jump on the bandwagon, what did she have to lose? Furthermore he was not being selfish; this was also for her own good. They were just a bad mix and, though he could not exactly think of any direct examples where she was negatively affected by them spending so much time together, he was positive that they must exist. Collapsing back into her seat the girl raised her hands, palms out. "But I give up, the school wins. I don't want to fight it anymore." For a split second he could have sworn he heard her voice change pitch, but it quickly returned to normal.

"C-Can we go home now?" A girl piped up from somewhere to then left of him, he didn't bother to look us; Minako had his entire focus, that was what she wanted, right? She had his attention so, if she was going to say something, now was the time. Certainly she was not just going to end it with that; call him out and then drop it. No, she had said her piece and now it was his turn. However the remaining members of the council were shifting nervously in their seats and glancing at one another. A few had begun to whisper to their neighbors; about what, him? Or maybe they were spreading rumors about the girl who had just made a scene. That would not do though, it was none of their business what she did; and he would not stand for anyone judging her. So what if they were fighting, he still felt the same about her, that would never change. He was out to protect her; of course, right now her main threat seemed to be him. That was a bit more challenging, how was he supposed to keep her from getting hurt if he was the one doing it?

Bringing a hand up to his forehead he merely waved the girl off. "Fine, fine." If they really wanted to leave then whatever; his time could be better spent thinking and their constant inquiries were a real pain. Besides, the girl in front of him seemed demanding of care and he definitely could not confront her with all of them still in the room. "…That's it for today's meeting." As he dropped the paper on Minako's desk he bent down a bit and leaned in so that their faces were almost touching. "…Minako-kun, I want to talk to you after the meeting." Crossing her arms across her chest the girl merely turned her head to the side, refusing to give him the satisfaction of her acknowledgment. The rest of the Student Council exited in silence, like they knew something big was about to go down and did not want to get caught up in it. As soon as the last boy headed through the door he turned his focus back to the sangria haired girl. "Come on, let's go." He outstretched a hand to help her up out of the chair but she did not even glance at it; alright, so she wanted to be like that, no skin off his back.

The uncomfortable walk up to the rooftop felt as if he was headed to the gallows; which, ironically, might have been a better option than what he was about to do. I t had taken a bit of time to realize it but, in the end, the dictator-in-the-making finally thought he knew what might be wrong. How long did it take to reach the roof? He did not recall it being such a long walk; then again, every other time he had been following the enthusiastic Minako so time seemed to fly by. Running a hand through his slick backed hair he did not dare try to steal a glimpse of the girl walking behind him for fear that she might decide to turn around and head home. Where would that leave him; up the creek without a paddle like Orpheus or Izanagi. By the time they reached the top it took a great deal of effort for him to even breathe properly and he had to roll his sleeves up to keep from sweating. How positively disgusting; was he really so nervous that he was losing the cool exterior he prided himself on? That was completely unreasonable, and very unprofessional.

Heading towards the edge to overlook the city he heard her feet stop midway through the trek. She wanted some space between them; it was as simple as that. Funny, wasn't it? How he had been pushing so hard for distance the day before but now he wanted closeness more than anything. Life defiantly could throw you a curve-ball when you were least expecting it; but who would have imagined this? A light smile flickered across his lips as he gazed out at the people below, going about their lives, who had no idea that they were up here. "Yes? What is it?" She sounded hostile, how disappointing; her usual cheery attitude was far more becoming of a young lady. Still, if she wanted to play the part of the serious party he would let her; it was about time he got stuck with the role of the tongue-tied fool. Karma certainly could be a bitch. A loud tapping of the foot told him that he needed to get on with it, for she was not prepared to stick around in the event that he just wanted to enjoy the sound of the cars honking on the street. No need to rush it, he was having trouble dealing with the situation as is.

"I'm sorry to drag you up here, but I wanted to tell you something…" There it was, the feeling of being completely dumbfounded that stupid online site had warned him about. Turning around to face her he began to fiddle nervously with the black string. "The cigarette butt incident will be dropped." He said quickly, averting his gaze. Damn, he had been so close; but just looking at her was enough to make him wuss out. "…They say it's my fault, for asking so many questions." It was not exactly what he wanted to tell her but, now that he had mentioned it, why not tell it all? "I wanted to be Student Council President next year, and the P.E. teacher agreed to endorse me." So he sold his soul to a devil who seemed to have a thing for teenage girls, perfect. "But, I lost any chance of achieving that goal when I disagreed with him." That lousy excuse for a man had it coming though, daring to mess with someone that was precious to Hidetoshi. "The student body is also annoyed with me." That hardly mattered though; he could not care less about what they thought. "I rambled on about rules and fairness, but all I really proved was that I was desperate for power…"

Her eyes had narrowed when she did not receive the apology she seemed to be expecting but, after a long sigh, she let up a bit. Removing her arms from her chest the girl placed them behind her back and cast her gaze off to the skyline. "Don't blame yourself." The first step forward was a difficult one, but the second came easier, and by the third he had gotten back into his normal rhythm. Approaching the girl he took out of his jacket pocket the small pink present she had thrown at him the day before. How surprised he had been when Keisuke handed it to him before homeroom, he could have sworn that the brunette would have devoured them on the spot. But he had kept them; did that mean he knew that Hidetoshi was going to see things his way? Perhaps he did not give the boy enough credit; besides, it was not as if he would be best friends with just anyone. Her pupils dilated at the sight and, before he knew it, they were beginning to mist over. This entire thing had been a terrible miscalculation on his part, and he would do anything to take back what he said. Actually, no, scratch that. It took this little fight for the coal haired boy to figure out just what was wrong with him as of late. One could only imagine how surprised he was to discover that nothing was wrong; to the contrary, something was quite right.

"…Now I know why the President asked you to join Student Council." He whispered as he clasped her hands together and placed the small gift in them. "Those aren't just empty words… nor sympathy. You genuinely mean what you say." To be honest, he admired her a bit. She was so strong, how dare he do anything that might hurt her? "The system only works if you have people's trust, and trust is not something you force them to feel." Trust had to be built up from nothing; heck, when he first met Minako Hidetoshi had seen her as nothing more than a threat. But now… "When the P.E. teacher suggested that you should be a suspect," He wanted to beat the man senseless until his face was nothing more than a bloody pulp; but there was a better way he could phrase that. "I felt as if I was being bullied by an ignoramus who just had more power than me." Yes, that sounded much nicer and drastically less violent. "I felt like the truth was being bent and I might lose a friend as a consequence." Not only might he have lost a friend but he definitely would have lost any remaining self-respect. "If it wasn't for you, Minako-kun, I would've gotten carried away. Thank you." As uncharacteristic for him as it was, he actually felt genuinely appreciative.

Was that a smile starting to cross her lips, or just the setting sun; it was too difficult to tell. "…That teacher may not be a complete numbskull." This caught her attention, of course; surely she did not think that he was going to accuse her as well. "'Fall for a girl,' huh? He's right." It had taken a great deal of effort but the teen had finally come to terms with it. He did not totally hate the idea of being with the sangria haired girl, as crazy as that sounded. "…" For a moment the two just stood there; with Minako sporting an almost humorous 'are you screwing with me' look. Giving a formal bow he looked up at her, a light grin playing along the sides of his mouth. "Minako-kun. No, Minako…san." Taking the cupped hands in his own the boy chose to stare at them, rather than her, during this terribly embarrassing time. "It seems… I am attracted to you." He coughed a bit, as if trying to shake off some of the awkwardness surrounding them. "To exaggerate a bit… I like you." Tracing her fingers gently with his own the boy tried desperately to clear his head of everything that had to do with what he had just said.

"…" At long last a small gasp escaped the girl's lips and she pulled her hands free, causing him to look up at her. "Why are you surprised? I'm only human. I have emotions, too." The flush shade of her cheeks went surprisingly well with the red hair and eyes she sported. "…You don't need to answer. I just wanted to tell you." In fact, he did not even want to know what she might say. "Right now, both you and I have things we need to do…" There were goals they each needed to achieve, and some pesky high school fling was not going to stand in the way of that. "When I'm confident that the time is right, I'll say it again…" Would that time ever come? Yes, he promised himself that it definitely would. Even if it took ten, twenty, fifty years he would say definitely come to her and say it again. "So…" He had done a lot of talking, it was exhausting. Right now he would love to return to his house and take a nap; anything to calm his heart which felt as though it was beating as fast as a hummingbird's, which was approximately one thousand two hundred and sixty times per minute, just for reference.. "…Until then, I guess I can dream." What was it they said; if you dream it you can achieve it? "Now, let's go home."

As he turned around to head down the stairs he felt a hand brush against the backside of his head. Whipping around he caught sight of the girl whose face he had been avoiding. She appeared to be in a state of frustration; as if she felt extreme anger, sorrow, and relief all at the same time and was unsure as to which was stronger. "Excuse me?" The shrill voice sounded as she stomped her foot on the ground; but childish antics like that were just another part of her charm. "You were a complete and total jerk to me Hidetoshi-san!" She yelled, tears welling in her eyes and bottom lip becoming a dark red color. Oh no, don't tell him she was biting her lip this entire time; that had to hurt, poor thing. "And now, on top of everything, you say something like this? What's the matter with you?" Not exactly the reaction he had been hoping for, but that was why he had asked her to please keep all comments until he said it again further down the road; much further, after he grew a spine for handling these types of situations. But no, that would be too easy.

Still, how could be begin to describe his thought process to her? It would sound just awful if he told Minako that, in order for him to realize how much he cared about her, he had to be a cold-hearted bully. Maybe he could find a better way to phrase it, no, not this time. Dang it, what was he supposed to do? He had just planned on leaving after he said his bit; there was no reason for a second round of their fight. It had been bad enough the first time around; there was no need for an encore. Drawing away from her he pushed back the rolled up cuffs on his arms. "I don't need to explain myself-" But she waved a hand in front of his face to cut him off. It appeared as though she was not done, wonderful; why not chew him out right then and there, hadn't he embarrassed himself enough already? Was she really this upset that he told her? Should he have kept it to himself? This was all Keisuke's fault… well, his and google's. That stupid website put all these crazy ideas in his head. The older generations were right, the internet was the devil.

"As I was saying, now you're just going to walk away dramatically and go home without giving me a chance to say anything?" Her face was starting to resemble a turnip; no, those were purple. What was that vegetable that people put in salads again? Oh, right, a radish; yes, well her face looked like one of those. "That's not fair!" Toying with the cookies in her hands Minako stared emptily into them and he was quite unsure of exactly what he was supposed to say next. She did not exactly seem to be finished, and it would be rude to interrupt her; but this was all getting far too chick-flick for him. "You're just going to leave without hearing my feelings…" Her voice was shallow now, as she pulled back the small string holding the colored wrap together. Had he waited another five seconds he would have noticed that they were two little sugar cookies, decorated with rainbow sprinkles, in the shape of hearts. But he did not, he had already turned around and was staring intently at the door; trying to figure out just when he could make his great escape from the horrifying world of teenage emotions.

"That is because I do not want to hear what you have to say." He stated simply, shrugging a bit in the process. For all he knew she could be about to turn down his advancements which, to be clear, he did not make. He had simply gotten something that had been bothering him for some time now off his chest and, to be honest, it felt great. For the first time in a long while he finally felt at ease. Even if she did feel the same way what good would that do? As previously stated he did not want to get into a relationship until he was truly ready, and that would not be for some time. Were they supposed to just wait around until that time came? Surely he could not expect her to do that; it would be asking too much. Motioning for her to come over next to him the boy weighed his options and finally decided on a solution that could, hopefully, work for both of them. With a light pat on the top of her head he offered a reassuring smile. "But I'll listen someday, promise." She stuck her pinky out to seal the deal and, with a carefree laugh, he locked on.

xx

The next two days went smoothly, with the exception of Keisuke singing some dreadfully annoying little jingle about him and Minako being a tree. Sometimes his friend was a genius, other times he was a simpleton, go figure. But, as much as he hated to admit it, she was beginning to have a positive effect on him. The condescending smirk, that had almost become his trademark, was now a thing of the past. He figured that, with a little hard work, everyone could be like the sangria haired girl; so he just had to give them a chance. Of course he was definitely sticking to his only one pardon per person rule; but at least he would not be as inclined as to judge people only moments after meeting them. It turned out that, sometimes, you could be totally wrong about a person. Take, for example, the class vice president. After class on Thursday he had given her a proper apology for not only accusing her, but for doing it in front of her friends. She had been very nice, and even went as far as to thank him and explain that she had gotten so riled about because her boyfriend had called it off only moments before the meeting started; so his snap judgment of her being an over-emotional witch was pretty far off base.

Something else quite extraordinary had happened as well, but he was waiting until later to discuss that with a certain someone. So, instead, he attempted to focus on the dull history lecture that was going on. Goodness, there could be nothing worse than teaching history. It was just the same thing time after time; small civilization, hero emerges, big civilization, someone bigger comes in, group of people wiped out, other group flourishes, rinse and repeat. How could the teacher not fall asleep discussing this year after year? If he was ever going to teach it would have to be something interesting, like political science… or at least a class using new technology rather than deciphering ancient texts. Clicking the back of his pen Hidetoshi observed the indent of the crown on the margin of a page near the front of the notebook. That thing had certainly been through a lot this year; but not to worry, he would no longer lose sight of his goals. He did have his eyes set on the prize; the only difference was that now it was a two part victory. The black ink filled in the desired space nicely as he finished a more permanent etching of the representation of his ambitions; a crown with a small M engraved in the middle.

"Hey, you ready for today? I brought my fluffy knee socks and everything." The girl remarked as they strolled down the hallway to the Student Council room. Though most students were dressed in their winter uniforms she had gone all out; white earmuffs, light scarf, and matching gloves. It had been her idea to do something special for their next meeting, so he had suggested an informal talk on how to dress for school. Of course that had gotten the idea for a fashion show in the girl's head and so here they were. Though, as he glanced at the smiling face beside him he could not help but feel as if, perhaps, he was under-dressed for the occasion. She seemed to sense it too for, opening her messenger bag; she pulled out a light pink scarf. "Here! I made it in Home Economics with the help of my friend Bebe. It will keep you nice and warm." It took every fiber of his being not to allow his eye to twitch when she handed it to him. It was pink, and not even a manly pink, but a shade that you would get stuck painting a nursery if you found out your wife was having a girl.

Wrapping it around his neck Hidetoshi noted that it was a bit stiff and sort of itched in the places where it came into contact with his skin. But she had made it and, like the cookies, she seemed very proud; so he had to humor her. "It's wonderful, I love it." Brushing a few loose threads away from his nose to keep from sneezing he tried to convince himself that the odd looks from his fellow male students were merely because they were jealous. Yes, he would be warm when it started snowing early and they would freeze; so there, they should be envious. Besides, how many cute girls spent time making them scarfs; yeah, exactly, he won. "So, you ready?" With a quick nod she shoved him into the room first and followed by skipping through and landing in the heroic stance she seemed so fond of. A few people laughed, but it was good-natured; and, by now, Minako and he were laughing as well. "As you can see everyone, today we will be discussing our marvelous school uniforms." Where the council normally would have groaned they, instead, broke into applause. "And, clearly, pink is in this season."

He was just going to do the report from his usual spot behind the podium but, after much prompt from Minako and a great deal of cheering from the rest of the members he ended up being pushed onto the long desk. Twisting her finger around in a circular motion the girl indicated that she wanted him to give a twirl. Oh no, that was going too far. He was a serious person, and this was just silly. Still, perhaps being silly every now and then was not necessarily a bad thing. It could never hurt to lighten up a bit. Well, when in Rome… Spinning around he caught his scarf in his right hand and pulled it off theatrically. There were a few whistles from some of the female members and he nearly died of embarrassment when the scarlet eyed girl yelled for him to take off his jacket. Oh she was so lucky he looked favorably upon her or he would have killed her on the spot. "Unfortunately I cannot, seeing as how our dress code forbids us from taking off the jacket until May." The chorus of boos was both humors and, if he did say so, a nice boost to the ego. "Madam?"

Grabbing onto his outstretched hand Minako allowed him to pull her up and onto the tables. "Okay everyone, ready to see what all the girls in Paris are wearing this winter?" Using the tables as a catwalk she sauntered up and down until she got back to the starting point and whipped off her gloves. "Listen up boys, here comes the fun part." She added with a light wink before dropping her hands to her side. "Note that, when my arms are down, the very tips of my fingers brush against the hem of my skirt. Please keep this in mind for anything shorter is against the dress code!" Once more the group broke into a chorus of boos, only this time it was from the male portion of the council. "Aww please don't be sad. Look at these stylish earmuffs? Not only are they effective at keeping your ears toasty warm but they are also Gekkoukan approved!" With a final spin she struck another pose that caused the group to break into a round of applause. If anyone was fun it was Minako, boy, Maiko would love her. Leaping off the makeshift stage he turned and held his arms out to help the girl down.

"So that's my review on the proper way to wear one's uniform. Please keep those things in mind." He said in a slightly more serious tone as he folded the scarf and placed it on the podium. "I'm not trying to force everyone to change the way they dress; I would like to hear your opinion." The student council room broke into conversation and he was only able to pick up bits and pieces of what people were saying. Sure it had been an unconventional style of teaching, but at least they now knew the rules. And, when well informed, they were less likely to accidentally break them. Besides, having a student council that dressed properly was good motivation for the rest of the student body. He felt a soft tug at his sleeve and looked down to see the girl offering him a thumbs up; that was all he needed to know he had done the right thing. Her approval weighted more than the rest of the school combined. But of course she would like it, it was her idea after all; she was awfully creative, he would never thought about demonstrating something he could just as easily read from the handbook.

A girl seated beside the Vice President turned to converse with her "Hey, did Hidetoshi just say he wanted to hear our opinions!" The older girl gave a knowing smile before nodding. "Before, he didn't care WHAT we thought." Not entirely true, he did care what they thought; he just cared about why it was wrong unless they happened to agree with him. But not anymore, he had realized that people were the way they were for a reason. Some acted out, others remained quiet, while some lusted after power. Everyone had their own reasons for doing whatever they were doing and going about things however they saw best fit. They were never going to match up perfectly; even in an ideal world that would be impossible. What motivated him was different than what motivated Minako, and what motivated her was different than the Vice President. No two people were the same because no two people were in the exact same situation. However, he was beginning to learn that you could never fully understand a person; but you could definitely try and, if they wanted to, they would let you know what it was like to be in their shoes.

"Well… At least he's trying." He was, and that was more than the freshman from before could say. What had he been doing this entire meeting besides texting and staring out the window? But, once again, he did not know what waited for the boy outside of the classroom, so he let it slide. As the bell overhead chimed the meeting was officially declared over. As the boys and girls headed out he and Minako began fixing the arrangement of chairs back into neat lines behind the tables. Whistling a tune to herself the girl moved in and out, pulling chairs and slamming them into place, at an alarming rate. She certainly was efficient at a task once she put her mind to it, and he could definitely respect that. Moving the final chair back into place he sat down on the long table in the front of the room and offered a warm smile to the girl. She really had been a big help in all of this; it was funny, he could hardly remember a time without her. Now it seemed strange to try to picture how he got by on his own. No, even then he was not alone; he had Keisuke, his mother, and even his father… who he needed to visit.

Spinning a bit in a circle the girl collapsed onto the table next to him, breaking onto a fit of laughter as she did so. At least she had a good time, that made all his humiliation worth it. Oh who was he kidding, he had fun too. "Thanks, Minako-kun. I couldn't have done it without you." Tapping the girl playfully on the nose he joined her in a carefree laugh. This was definitely better than when he used to be left all alone after meetings. Everyone would go home, or out with friends, and he would be stuck cleaning up the room and worrying about the latest exam in whichever class he happened to be struggling in at the time. But now, here he was, enjoying himself just like all those lame magazines they had out at the dentist's office said he should be. Apparently the teenage years were for having fun, then college was for partying, and the late twenties were for making up for the partying. Well, he would not quite do that; he planned on studying extremely hard in college so that he could make something worthwhile of himself. Then, by the time he was in his late twenties he could have a good job that he enjoyed, one where he looked forward to waking up and going to it every day. "Um… How'd I do?"

Bringing a hand dramatically to her forehead the girl let out a long sigh as she leaned back on the table. "They were praising you." Haha, very funny; he didn't really want to be treated like a king, only have similar status as one. One thing was for certain though; this school needed a theater group, or at least a drama club. Minako would thrive off of an environment like that; and who knows, he had never been partial to plays but if she was in it he would probably sit through one… or two… or all of them. A light blush crossed his cheeks at the thought of her being up on stage, she would do great; everyone would love her, it would be amazing. The girl waved a hand in front of his face to bring him back to earth and he instantly snapped to attention. This daydreaming had become a surprisingly common thing as of late; and they almost always had to do with the girl who was now amusing herself by playing with her earmuffs. What was so amusing about pulling them away from one's head and then allowing them to snap back into place was still a mystery to him, but she seemed to be enjoying herself.

"Well, I'm proud of myself for making an effort." He was satisfied with how far he had come, and that was the important thing. "I may have given people the impression that I'm selfish, but I'll win back their trust." As a matter of fact, he already had. "Look at this." Removing a lighter from his jacket pocket he showed it to the scarlet eyes girl who was staring at it like it was some foreign object. "You know that cigarette butt in the bathroom? One of the guys fessed up." Her mouth made a small 'o' shape and he could not help but wonder if this was her first time actually seeing a lighter; that would be so like her, that teacher really was a moron. "And you know what else? He promised me that he'll never smoke again." It had happened at the end of the day on Thursday, after he saw Hidetoshi apologize to the Vice President. It just went to show that good things happened when you took responsibility for your actions. "This lighter is proof of that." Twisting it around his index finger the boy could not help but recall the shameful look on the boy's face when he handed it to Hidetoshi. "I earned his trust by showing concern for others, just like you taught me." Tossing it to the girl he gave a light smile. "Here, I want you to have this."

As she reached forward to catch it in the air the girl stared at him in surprise. Of course she had to know how much it meant to him. If anything she was the only person who could possibly understand how important it was; how it was a constant reminder that he could do good, if he put his mind to it. He was not a bad guy like the majority of the school seemed to think; he was just trying his hardest to make it in the world, but had been going about it the wrong way. That was what made Minako so special. While it was just beginning to dawn on his classmates now that his intentions were good, she had known from the start. It was as if, right when he tossed the eraser to the back of the classroom, he had sealed his fate of someday needing her. To think, he wanted to be rid of her for so long; it all seemed so foolish now. "I'll treasure it." Pressing it to her heart the girl's eyelids fluttered closed; what was she doing, praying? No, it seemed too informal for that, maybe she was making a wish? Only children did that, but she had never let that stop her in the past. Still, what could a girl as wonderful as her have to wish for?

"Please, do." It may have been a cheap lighter, and who knew for how long it would hold up; but he trusted that she would keep it safe for him. With a frustrated look Hidetoshi stared at the empty room spread out before them. "I've been looking down on people." For as long as he could remember he had always felt a sense of entitlement in the fact that he was working at least ten times harder than his other children his age. "But that caused friction with everyone, and dragged in someone dear to me…" In the end it led to her becoming involved in that ridiculous case. Just what would he have done if the P.E. teacher decided to continue on with the investigation without him? Would he have been able to protect her? "It really hit me, when I was persuading the lighter's owner, how important it was to make an effort to understand…" For a moment he considered taking the girl's fragile hand in his own, but he quickly shook away that idea. "I learned that technique from you… As you employed it upon me." It was embarrassing to admit, but he really did have the utmost respect for her.

"…Do you remember the story I told you? About the TV anchorwoman…?" The girl paused before cautiously nodding. He figured it was about time he finished telling her the story he started so long ago. She did have a right to know after all; and he could trust that she would not tell anyone. "The man sent to prison was my father…" Bringing her hands to her mouth the girl muffled a small gasp. Was it really that shocking? What better motivation was there that seeing firsthand how horrible life could truly be? Had it not been for this entire event he probably would have grown up to be a very average teenager. His mother's carefree attitude, and father's hectic schedule, would have ensured that he could do whatever he damn well pleased. "I see now that sincerity IS important, and I'm proud of myself for learning its true meaning." Hidetoshi had been sincere when he said that he had faith in Minako, when he had told her that he was never going to leave her alone, and the other day on the roof. "I also realized what an amazing man my father is…" It was strange but, now that he truly understood it, he felt the desire to tag along the next time his mother went to visit the man.

"One day…" Not now of course, but in the distant future; once he had made something of himself. "One day, will I be able to stand by your side…?" He expected her to look away when he allowed his dark orbs to peer over at her, but the girl merely held his stare until he decided to break it. "…It's time to go home." But he didn't want to, not yet at least. They were only starting their daily dose of time spent together; and he really wanted to stay by her a bit longer. "You wanna go somewhere?" He inquired suddenly, before it dawned on him that it was extremely inappropriate to ask such an unspecific question. "You know, we've never hung out outside of school." He stuttered, trying to mask the slip-up. "N-Not that I'm asking you on a date… just to be clear." He wasn't in for that now; someday, definitely, but not right now. However he was not going to let that stand in the way of doing something with her outside of the school grounds. Two teenagers of different genders could go somewhere without it being a date, right? Yes, of course, why wouldn't they be able to; he was just being paranoid.

"Sounds wonderful." Minako replied as she fiddled with a loose lock of hair. "I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to get around to not asking me out." She added playfully, lightly punching him on the shoulder. With a quiet chuckle he hoped down off the desk and turned to face her. Like always he planned on offering up a hand so that she could get down easier; but the girl seemed to have forgotten that part of the routine for she jumped down on her own and landed right on his foot. Graceful, just like an angel; that is, if angels had suddenly taken to attacking people. The oblivious smile plastered on her face meant that she had no idea the pain she was causing him and, being a young man, he could not admit that she was actually succeeding in hurting him. So it looked as though he was just going to have to wait it out; sooner or later she had to move, right? Never-the-less there were no rules about speeding up the process so pointing towards the door, he motioned for her to go on ahead of him. When she finally moved there was the imprint of her saddle shoe on the tip of his dress shoes, splendid.

"I'm not exactly sure what people do outside of school though…" He thought aloud as it began to dawn on him that he almost never did anything unless Keisuke dragged him to some random restraint to get dinner. Apparently the giant bowl of meant and noodles his friend ordered was supposed to make him smarter; well that certainly was not doing its job. One look at the brunette's grades was all the evidence he needed to not believe in the magical, intelligence increasing, meal. "Is there any place that you would like to go?" He inquired as he grabbed the scarf off the stand and wrapped it around his neck for lack of a better place to store it. Hopefully he would not have to go someplace too public in this girly thing; he would like to preserve a shred of dignity, if that was alright with Minako. Would it really have killed her to use blue fabric? However he figured he should be grateful that she made him something at all. As they approached the stairs the girl whipped around and brought a finger to her lips, as if thing it over. Where there really that many interesting places around here that she could not pick? Or, maybe, it was the exact opposite and she could not think of any.

"Hmmm worst comes to worst there's always a movie. I'm not sure what type of films you're into but at least we won't have to make awkward conversation." With a knowing smile he nodded, a movie sounded great. "You know what I really want to see? That new action movie with that guy, he has the short hair, and the really pretty girl-" Apparently walking backwards down the stairs while talking was too complex for her mind to handle for the girl's left foot went right out from under her. Whipping a hand out he grabbed onto the girl's forearm and pulled her back onto his step. This entire situation felt extremely familiar, but this time she was getting a bit too close. "I... uh…" She was so close now that he could hear her heartbeat; it was captivating. Keeping his right hand firmly on her arm the coal haired boy allowed the other to lightly brush against her cheek. No words were needed; the girl merely closed her scarlet eyes and leaned into his touch. Bending forward ever so slightly he permitted his lips to come within mere inches of her glossy ones; it was now or never, right?

"Yo, Minako-tan!" A loud voice called from the top of the stairwell and a male student sporting a deep blue dress under his carelessly open jacket cam sliding down the railing. Hidetsohi instantly released her arm and turned to face the opposite direction. What was he about to do; really now, he had already told the girl that this was not a date. What was he thinking, almost… oh god, he had almost kissed her! However, what was more alarming was the fact that she had not even attempted to protest. Just how was he supposed to interpret that? And what was she going to think now? He would just have to play it off as though nothing had happened, yea, that would definitely work. "I'm going to check up on Chidori so I'll be late getting back to the dorm a'ight? If you're going tonight just leave without me, sorry." Continuing on his way the boy seemed to be hurrying out of their conversation as quickly as he had appeared. But, before he reached the front door, he stopped and waved. "Make sure you get a home run or two for me, show those sons of bitches just who they're messing with!"

What was that all about? He looked inquisitively at the sangria haired girl who appeared to still be composing herself. "Stupei…" She mumbled and he could not help but smile; she seemed quite displeased at his sudden interruption and, for some reason, that made him feel a bit better about his own feelings. With a light sigh she turned back to face Hidetoshi. "Sorry about that, someone he really cares about is in the hospital." She explained. And, as sorry as he felt for the boy, he could not help but wonder where they would be going late at night. Was this what the P.E. teacher had been talking about when he said there were witnesses of her being out after midnight? "He's a fool, but a kind one." Taking another step forward she missed yet another stair but, thankfully, she managed to catch herself this time and landed skillfully at the bottom, arms raised over her head like an Olympic gymnast. Sometimes he was unsure which was more dangerous, the outside would or her own actions. At this rate she was going to get herself killed before he ever had the chance to confess again; and just where would that leave him?

"As clumsy as ever," The boy said between sighs. Thank goodness she was not in situations that needed absolute focus and balance, or she would be screwed. Clearing his throat the boy began to tug at the black ribbon around his neck. "Perhaps it would be best if you allowed me to assist you." He offered uncomfortably, a bit unsure as to whether or not she was going to refuse or laugh in his face for being so awkward about it. However she responded with a full blown smile and linked arms before he could say anything else. As she latched on with the other hand he could have sworn he felt her nuzzle up against him like a puppy. It was endearing though, and he definitely liked having her so close to him; she was easier to watch and keep safe from harm. Alas he could not always be there to make sure she remained safe so, with any luck, the cigarette lighter could guard her in his absence. Now he knew how ridiculous that sounded, but it was the only way that he was going to be able to convince himself to part with her. Gazing down at the top of her head one thing was certain; he could get used to this.

* * *

**A/N: **I love writing. Like, I know I'm not good enough to do it professionally but it's a wicked fun hobby. Know what I'm going to school for? Accounting. Yeah, boring central, I know. Whenever I look at my stacks off books and homework I die a little on the insides… true facts, I just looked over and my liver instantly stopped working.

FrizFroz- whoops, caught me. I have a tiiiiiny bit of an obsession with musicals, sorry. And I knooooow it went sooo fast but I really wasn't about to write months and months of little meetings and bonding so I was all montaaaaage Dx

Cielle- I had actually never used it before the other day! If you watch the show Royal Pains they mentioned it in that a few times, so I always sorta knew it was out there' but boy! There is a TON of stuff on that site! It's downright incredible!

Haruko- You're so awesome! Especially your name, I love it!

Fervour- there's actually a picture out there on Safebooru that is an artist's interpretation of him when he's older…and he has glasses! Its soooo cute, I think you'd totally love it.

**Next Chapter:** Fantasies or Wishes! Movies are a great romantic setting for every hero and leading lady… a pity he's incredibly awkward in any social situation and she's an accident waiting to happen.


	6. Fantasies or Wishes

**A/N:** And thus the useless writing continues haha I really need to start studying or take the online film test. Psssshhhh I'll do that at eleven twenty Sunday night considering it has a ten minute time limit and is up until eleven thirty. So I was staring at my calendar and it dawned on me that not only have I already been here twenty-six days , it really flew by, but that I've also managed a rate of one chapter every four or five days. Wow, I normally have such a short attention span that even I get bored with my writing. I think not going back and re-reading the chapters actually makes it easier for me not to get bored. Of course that means I make more careless errors, sorry. DISCALIMER: I DO NOT OWN ATLUS OR ANY CHARACTERS OR THIS TOTALLY AWESOME SONG FROM A VERY POTTER SEQUEL. Orrrr sailor moon orrrr sprite zero! Though I do own a bottle of it from which I can read the ingredients...

* * *

_I used to dream about it  
but never schemed or counted  
on fantasies or wishes-  
it breaks a man to see what he misses_

_-AVPS_

"I can't believe you don't go to the movies!" Minako exclaimed as they strolled past the small building that formed a thick wall around the street. Was it really so surprising? His time could be better spent studying; what was the benefit of sitting in front of a gigantic screen for two and a half hours, trying to immerse yourself in a fictional plot-line? He may have been missing something but it really just seemed like a waste of time. However she wanted to do this, and it would keep them from experiencing uncomfortable situations when they would be forced to talk about the weather or local sports team. Come to think about, did they even have a local sports team? No matter, he had never been big into those sorts of thing anyway. Come gym class he had always remained on the sidelines with Keisuke whose asthma was so advanced that it could be downright life-threatening if he exerted himself too much. A light smirk crossed his lips at the memory. Of course his friend was perfectly fine, but having a father for a doctor meant that he knew the symptoms to fake; and the school could not really afford a lawsuit if it turned out he was not bluffing and ended up dying during a sprint.

"I just don't see the point." He replied; giving a light with his left shoulder for fear that using bot might somehow knock her off balance. "But you said you went to the film festival, how was that?" Hey eyes lit up at this and he knew he was in for a long story, drat. No, not drat; Hidetoshi liked hearing her voice, even if he could not care less what she was saying. Everything felt so much easier now that he knew exactly what had been driving him crazy for so long. To think, the great disciplinarian had fallen into the stereotype of the average teenage boy; who would have thought? Hopefully no one, and he was not about to broadcast it so they would never know. Not until he was the man he hoped to become and, by then, it would not matter what he did in his free time or who he spent that time with. With any luck he would become the type of person she could be proud of; the kind of person she could point out in a crowd and say, with complete satisfaction, 'that one's mine'. That would be nice; the coal haired boy was sure that he could do anything with the knowledge that was what was waiting for him at the end of the line.

Releasing her grasp on his arm the girl used her now free hand to emphasize her talking. "It was so much fun, really, I had a blast!" Putting up one finger at a time Minako began to list all the movies that she had seen during that time. "Let's see, first I went to see a horror film with Rio; then there was the nature documentary with Saori-san, tear-jerker with Theo, French film with Bebe, some modernism thing with Ikutsuki-san, a part of the 'Willpower!' series with Yukari, a chop-socky movie with Akihiko-senpai, some American action movies with Junpei, a ninja film with Aigis, science fiction with Fuuka, chick-flick with Mitsuru-senpai, and a super hero movie with Ken. Heck, I even went with Koro-chan." So this is what people meant when they said that their brain felt as though it were melting. How many IQ points had she lost wasting all that time at the theater? That was thirteen movies, multiplied by two hours each; she had spent a combined total of over a day there within the course of two weeks! Maybe that was why she was so happy all the time; her mind had been reduced to mush from watching too much television. "But no worries, I'm positive this time will be my favorite."

Well he certainly did have a lot to compete with; especially considering he had no idea who the majority of those people were. A few of them went to their school, but who were Theo, Ken, and Koro-chan? It also begged the question as to why she was going to see a film with Ikutsuki, wasn't he the chairman of Gekkoukan's school board; wasn't that sort of fraternization against school rules? Oh well, he was not going to trouble himself with that now; he trusted that they merely had a shared interest and that there was nothing else going on. As he purchased the tickets Hidetoshi noticed the girl quickly glance at some candy behind the counter. Upon asking if she would like some her face turned bright red. "Oh you have no idea. But Akihiko-senpai has been getting on my case lately about not eating properly." She huffed crossing her arms over her chest. "Sometimes it's like he thinks he's my mom." Pointing to the soda at the end of the case she grinned sheepishly. "But sprite zero is not a significant course of sugars, and it uses natural flavors. So I'm sure he would not mind if you got that and I just happened to have a few sips."

It was almost depressing how full the theater was; all those people, wasting so much time that they could be using to better the community. What about movies was so gosh darn wonderful anyways? There was always some over clichéd plot, girl meets boy they fall in love yaddy yaddy yah, with some handsome hero, who also happened to have a heart of gold because amazing looks were not enough, and a blissfully ignorant heroine, who had to get captured at one point. It really limited his expectations for the film; he wasn't even sure what it was about yet. When he had posed a previous inquiry Minako had gone off on a rant about how much she loved the leading lady, so the coal haired boy decided it would be best not to ask her again. Instead he would merely wait until the damn thing started and, if it was too unbearable, he could always take a quick nap. Would that be considered rude though? It was not as though he was falling asleep because she was boring him, so it shouldn't be a problem. "Oh this is going to be so good, it looks amazing." The scarlet eyed girl whispered, putting her hand on the armrest to lean over a bit so that she would not have to raise her voice too much. If this was a tacky teenage flick he might have done the overused 'accidentally brush hands' trick; but something told him that was far less smooth in real life.

Before the opening scene had even finished she turned to him yet again. "Whoa, look at their use of pyrotechnics, it's incredible." The girl exclaimed while still attempting to keep her sound level low. Was she going to talk throughout the entire thing; that would annoy the people around them, right? Still, he was impressed that she knew the word pyrotechnics and didn't just say explosions. No, that wasn't very nice. She had one of the highest grade point averages in the class and had done outstanding on the mid-year. It was just her sort of absentmindedness that made it seem as though she would not be highly intelligent. It was someone what strange, he loved to broadcast his high level of brainpower to the general public; why was she so content with this laissez-faire attitude? "Hidetoshi-san?" The girl questioned for the fourth time, although it was the first he actually heard it. Raising an eyebrow he motioned for her to go on. "I asked if you liked the car chase, it seemed a bit irregular thanks to the odd camera angles so I'm not sure as to how I feel about it quite yet." There had been a car chase?

A few minutes later he found himself being dragged back into another of her one-sided conversations on seemingly random observations. "I don't like the use of composition… it just feels like the foreground it too cluttered. It's hard to tell what's going on, you know?" No, actually, he didn't know. The Odagiri boy knew nothing about film and could only guess as to what some of the terms she had been throwing out meant. Had she taken a class on this sort of thing, or was it the byproduct of spending two weeks doing nothing but attending shows? Maybe there was some value to watching a movie after all; though he doubted that everyone or even the majority of people, in the room knew as much as she did on the topic. It was strange, as much as the sangria haired girl was making it sound as though watching a film could be beneficial to a person, he was still uninterested in the gigantic screen in front of him. The large faces, now smeared in blood because the hero had shot one of the villain's lackeys and it was only normal for a person to basically erupt into a volcano of blood, were completely unappealing to his more classy tastes. It just looked over-the-top was all, and made it hard to try to sink into the reality of what was being presented to him.

"I don't know." He mumbled, resting his chin on his hand and leaning over. "The gore just feels like a waste of money. It's doing nothing for the scene and one can only imagine how much they put into production costs for it." They could have used that budget for more important things, like lighting and costumes. Also, the coloring seemed a tad off, sure blood would be a deep crimson color for a while but, after some time had passed, it would be more of a dry brown. Apparently the production staff assumed the audience was not clever enough to know that, super; his intellect was being insulted by the morons who created this low-rate film. Bringing a finger to her lips the girl seemed to ponder this idea, glancing back at the screen and cocking her head to the side. Oh no, had he said something wrong? Maybe she was into that sort of eccentric blood splatter… oh how he hoped that was not the case, or he was going to have to seriously reconsider their friendship. At long last the girl nodded, hair bouncing a bit in the process, and stuck out her tongue a bit in disapproval; thank heavens.

"I like action movies, especially the type Junpei always wants to go to," Minako began, using her hands to gesture although it had absolutely nothing to do with what she was saying. He figured that a lot of people were like that, but it was only really noticeable around her; probably due to the fact that it added to her charm. "But it's really either a hit or miss kind of deal. Don't get me wrong, I'm not an extremist or anything; but I feel like some directors just go overboard with violence." A small wrinkle appeared on her forehead as the girl sunk further down in her seat. "I just don't see the point of it. You can have a wonderful adventure, with minimal violence, and still evoke the same feelings in people." Sighing a bit she cast her orbs back to the screen. "I just don't understand… everyone loves to watch a good fight until…" She had trailed off quite abruptly, but Hidetoshi felt as though now was not the time to inquire further. It was almost as though the thought had not been meant for his ears in the first place, and he felt a bit like a trespasser in her mind.

At least he could take some comfort in the fact that she would never have to fight like the actors in the film. He had a strong personality, that was for sure, but he knew very well how easily it could crumble if something happened to the girl beside him. But the look on her face right now was quite troubling; just what went on inside her head? "You know," He began, drawing her attention away from the gunfight that had broken out on the screen. "If you ever have a problem, I'm here. I'd do anything for you." A faint blush appeared on the girl's cheeks and he instantly regretted saying anything. "Errr, I might have phrased that incorrectly. I meant that I'll make sure you're safe, see to it that no harm comes to you. So you can relax." Her face seemed to fall a bit, but Minako quickly perked up again and offered one of her award winning smiles as a thank you. That look of hers was so spirited and radiant; he was almost bitter about the fact that everyone got to see it. However he received peace of mind from the thought that maybe, one day, she would smile for him alone.

xx

By what he assumed was halfway through the movie the hero had found a girl, lost the girl, met the antagonist, fought the antagonist, and was now searching for clues as to where his 'true love' might be. It was funny how easily an action movie could be ruined by adding a romantic twist. The drama really did nothing for the plot, and the tension it inspired was more humorous than dramatic. Of course, maybe that was only because he did not believe in any of that soul mate nonsense. You did not meet someone and fall head over heels; that was lust, not true affection. How long had he even known this girl? A total of two days in-film time, what sort of relationship could have possibly blossomed from that? All this was going to do was set people up for disappointment. They would never find this romanticized version of love, and then what? They would be left wondering about it for the rest of their lives; it was actually doing the audience a disservice. Every now and then he would glance at Minako using his peripheral vision; was she buying into any of this? If this was what she was searching for then he didn't stand a chance in hell. She would probably have some obscure run in with a mysterious boy somewhere, feel something very slight, and decided that was the 'spark' it took to set off a future.

Every now and then she would turn to him and comment on the use of shot/ reverse shot, or some other term that he was unfamiliar with. Hopefully she did not plan on going into film studies at a University; that seemed like a highly unreliable career choice. Speaking of Universities he could not help but wonder just what the girl planned on doing with her life after high school. Certainly she would be continuing on to a higher form of education, it was a requirement for getting a good job these days; but what if she chose to study abroad? Although it would be a wonderful chance to explore the world, and he could see her simply adoring something like that, it would set them awfully far apart. Not that he was looking for anything permanent in the short game, he would have no time for frivolous activities during such time, but it would be nice for her not to go extremely far away. That way they could still talk occasionally without someone having to get up at five in the morning to talk with the other at six at night. How presumptuous, thinking that she would still want to talk to him then.

The coal haired boy was shaken out of his thoughts by a loud and dramatic "Nooooooo." from besides him. Eying the girl suspiciously he glanced back to the screen; on which the star had decided that it would be a good idea to venture into the dimly lit basement of the already dark and suspicious house. Thank god life was not really like that, if he saw something unexplainable and creepy there would be no way that he would ever go explore it; that was pure insanity. Without knowing what awaited you inside why would any sensible person go questing through it? How completely idiotic the notion was. "He's going down there without any weapons!" She cried, a bit louder than he had expected but not quite enough to draw unwanted attention thank goodness. She did have a point though; if, for some crazy reason he was going to head in, Hidetoshi would want a gun at least. "He should have taken a hockey stick, they always work." Raising an eyebrow suspiciously the head of the Disciplinary Committee could not help but marvel at the fact that she thought a simple sports good could be used to fight a battle; how truly ignorant she was to the world.

The dramatic music picked up as the rugged young man turned the corner and the audience was on the edge of their seats. Well, most of them were; Hidetoshi was still less than interested. By now he had found that watching Minako's expression change was far more enjoyable than anything happening on the screen. She was getting so into it, eyes wide and mouth slightly open, as if the suspense was eating her up inside. It was so cute, really; only she could be that adorable without even trying. A loud bang rang out through the theater as a gun went off and the girl, who had been so lovable looking mere seconds before, let out a high-pitched scream. Before it could register with Hidetoshi that the hero had been shot at the girl had thrown the top half of her torso over the armrest and was clinging to him. Not that he minded the sudden contact, but it certainly did seem to lose some of its value when his chest began to feel a slight pressure and, after a moment, he felt damp. Cringing a bit he glanced down hesitantly to see the soda smashed against his school jacket. "Oh no, I'm such a klutz!" The girl threw her hands up in front of her face and bowed repeatedly. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Please don't be mad."

Calm, real men remained calm in situations like this. "It's fine, really." By now his jacket was soaking wet, and probably sticky too for that matter. How positively unprofessional he must look; not that it was his fault but, for some reason, he felt a bit embarrassed by the turn of events. Anyway he needed to attempt to clean some of this off; the idea of sitting through the remainder of the less-than-great movie in a soda-covered uniform was unbearable. "I'll be right back." He whispered as he moved to leave the seat; but the girl grabbed his arm and quickly began pestering him to let her come. "No, no, I can handle it. Please, just enjoy the movie." If anything it would be more uncomfortable to have her come along. What exactly did she plan on doing? Helping him dry off, no thanks, he wasn't a child. As he headed into the light of the lobby, to locate some napkins, he counted himself lucky that she had chosen a clear drink. After a wash or two it would most likely be good as new, the same could not have been said if she had requested orange or grape soda.

Now to locate the napkins; they would probably be near the condiments, those two things always seemed to go hand in hand. It was understandable though, he had seen Keisuke eat some disgusting form of meat drenched in ketchup once and that got absolutely everywhere. "I said no!" A female voice yelled from across the room and he turned to see two fellow students fighting by, of course, the one place he needed to be. Life always had a way of working out for the best, right? He would merely wait until they finished their little active-discussion; there was really no reason to get involved. The girl appeared to still be in her school uniform, but she definitely was not in his class; the boy, still decked in the school's sweat suit, was Kazushi Miyamoto who sat four seats ahead of him. "You're such an idiot Kaz! There is no way that I'm letting you compete in nationals!" From behind him the door to the theater squeaked open and a small red head stuck out. Drat, their little performance had gone on too long; to think that she had actually come out to get him, what, did Minako think he was lost or something?

"Oi, what's going on with Yuko?" So her name was Yuko, good to know; but how did the sangria haired girl know her? Wait, she did participate in tennis a few days a week; perhaps she was one of her teammates? The short-haired girl certainly did seem like the sporty type, and he knew for a fact that Kazushi was a huge sports aficionado. Hidetoshi merely shrugged, their personal conflict had nothing to do with him, so it was best to just remain out of it. They had to leave sooner or later, and then he could grab some napkins and be done with it. Unfortunately the one with sapphire locks' ears seemed to pick up on the girl's sweet voice, for she turned around and glanced over at them. As much as he cared about his new movie buddy the boy wanted to scold her for alerting the two to their presence. An awkward moment quickly ensued for both parties; the ones who had been fighting instantly hushed, and he and Minako just sort of stood there, unsure of what to do now. The boy could feel his stomach drop as an intense look came over Kaz, as if he were contemplating a new idea that involved the poor witnesses.

Motioning for them to come over Kaz stared at him in particular. "Odagiri, you're smart, tell her I can still participate." Turning back to the fuming girl he pointed to Hidetoshi and nodded thoughtfully. "He's friends with Keisuke, so he has to know a thing or two about knee injuries." What? Certainly he had not heard the boy correctly. There was absolutely no way that he could possibly be implying that being friends with a boy, whose father just happened to be a doctor, gave him insight into the medical world. He was going to be the CEO of a major business corporation someday; why would he need to know anything that, if it became a problem for him, he would simply go to the hospital? And what about the hospital, if Kaz had a knee problem shouldn't he be there instead of fighting at the movies? Children these days, they really did find ways to constantly surprise him. But he certainly did not have time for any of this garbage; Minako was missing her movie, and she actually seemed to have been enjoying it. Still, he felt the need to do something about the boy; he could not just walk around with an injured leg, if anything that would just make it worse.

Raising his hands, palms out, the coal haired boy took a step back. "Hey now, don't jump the gun. That's not exactly my field of expertize." Sure he knew basic first aid, and what all the bones and vessels in the body were called, but he knew nothing about corrective procedures. And, even if he did, who would want to rely on anything a high school student said for something that important? Matters like this were best left to the professionals, not some teenager who could only guess at a possible solution. "I'm just here to get some napkins." Casting a finger downward he pointed to the gigantic dark stain on his uniform. "In case you couldn't tell I'm sort of covered in sprite." It was extremely uncomfortable as well by this point. The thick cotton material had been absorbed the drink like a sponge and was now beginning to stick to his white dress shirt. At this rate it would bleed through to the next one and make an even bigger mess; what to do, what to do. The feuding couple certainly did not seem like they were leaving anytime soon; perhaps he should merely brush past them, grab a few, and take his leave?

Casting her squinted eyes at Kaz the girl, he believed Minako had called her Yuko, charged at them. For a second Hidetoshi was almost worried that she might ram him at the speed she was going but, screeching to a halt in front of them, she grabbed onto the sangria haired girl's arm and pulled her forward. "Well Minako here is not only friends with Rio, and therefore into sports herself; but she is also one of the smartest kids in school! …And she says you can't participate, right?" It was almost comical how the girl phrased like a question but had left absolutely no room for opposition. Although, behind the fire in the girl's eyes, she was clearly more worried than she was angry. Once again though their logic was being based off the fact that being good at simple subjects like history and math somehow made a person a medical genius; and that was just absurd. If the two went ahead and listened to whatever form of 'wisdom' they were seeking, hell, Kaz would probably windup having to get his leg amputated; and what good would that do a star athlete? Of course it would certainly resolve this issue.

Prying her arm out of the girl's strong hands Minako merely smiled uncomfortably. "I really have no idea what you're talking about Yuko; I don't know anything about that sort of thing." Her friend's face fell a bit at that, almost like she viewed the scarlet eyed girl as her last possible hope. "Why are you two fighting though?" She inquired, a puzzled expression overtaking her normally upbeat features. Were she and Kaz good friends, he really had no idea; but, from Minako's voice, he could tell that she found their bout in the lobby to be more than a tad upsetting. "I'm a bit lost, mind filling me in?" Surely she had to get the gist of what was going on; even he had figured out that they were arguing about the boy's leg. Unless, maybe, she hoped that talking it out would keep them from snapping at one another. Hidetoshi inwardly cringed, that thought had not even crossed his mind. Here he was, trying to get what he came for and leave without getting involved, when, in actuality, he should be attempting to help them out. A good leader cared about everyone, and that meant making sure that they were not only safe but also happy. "One at a time, of course."

"I'll go first!" The girl said hurriedly, her hand shooting up in the air as if they were racing to answer a question in school. "He is trying to play with a hurt leg." You know what? Good for him, it shows ambition and motivation; more people should be that dedicated to a cause. "At this rate he's just going to make it worse..." The girl's voice softened and her eyes dropped to the floor. "I want him to rest, or consider getting surgery, but…" Drat, here came the guilt. Hidetoshi could defiantly see the point she was trying to present. If Keisuke or Minako ever tried to pull a stunt like that he would forcibly drag them to the hospital. Part of him wanted to slap the boy upside the head for worrying her so much; just looking at the girl was difficult considering she donned the expression of a kitten that had been left out in the rain. What was really so important about competing anyway? There was always next year, why not take a quick break? Not that he would ever even consider taking a break from his schoolwork, but studying hard did not threaten his health.

"I don't need surgery Yuko, really, you're making a big fuss over nothing." Kaz muttered, sticking his hands in his pockets and staring at the knee in question. "I can do it, for you and the team. I know I can…just give me a shot." Oh great, he could also see where this boy was coming from. He had a goal that he wanted to achieve and the pain was only a minor setback in his eyes, marvelous. This wasn't going to work, there was no way that either of them was going to back down; they were too set on their own reasons and actions to bother listening to another point of view. Well, he might as well make life a little bit easier. Sliding his sleeves out of the wet jacket Hidetoshi was pleased to note that it had not bled through too terribly. In fact, without the damp uniform, he almost felt content once again. They could continue their little friendship battle in front of the napkins, it would get them nowhere. He would just have to wash the jacket an extra time to ensure that all of the soda had been completely washed from the fabric.

Sliding over next to Minako he waited until Yuko spoke again to whisper in her ear. "We should try to leave now; otherwise we're never getting out of here." No matter what they said or did Yuko would still want him to take better care of himself and Kaz would still be as determined as ever to win in the championships. Clapping his hands loudly together the disciplinarian drew everyone's focus to him. "I think you're both right in that you have good intentions, but you're both wrong in the sense that you're going about this the completely wrong way." At first he thought Kaz was going to protest, for he opened his mouth as if to speak, but then quickly closed it again. He was not about to explain further, it was something that they could ponder on their own time. Nudging the girl to his right he motioned to the theater door they had exited through. "Come on, let's go before they start up again." With a reluctant last look at her friend Minako nodded. There was just no helping some people; and staying here would just discourage him from ever wanting to assist people in the future.

As he held the door open for the girl she put her fists on her hips and stared at him with a great deal of interest, so much so that it caused him to bring a hand to his neck and fiddle with the string. Had he done something wrong? Perhaps he had not used enough hair gel earlier that morning and a piece was now sticking up? The boy was unsure as to exactly how long that sort of thing was supposed to last; it was not as though it said so on the bottle, or did it? Damn, maybe it did; he never read the instructions because it seemed easy enough to do without help from a horribly translated sticker. "So," Minako finally said, a thoughtful essence in her voice. It was his hair; it was a mess and she was too nice to say anything about it, typical. Using his spare hand he quickly brushed it back through the dark locks, trying to make sure that they were at least somewhat neat; this was all so embarrassing. There was a reason he used so much gel to obtain his look, without it his hair was… well it wasn't a very nice sight. "Odagiri, huh?"

"Hm?" Had he heard her right? She wasn't commenting on his, supposedly, destroyed hair? Oh, wow, awkward. "Yes… that's my last name." Had she never heard it before; no, he was certain that he introduced himself to her using his full name. "What of it?" It wasn't that uncommon for her to be impressed or anything, so what was up? After a brief pause the girl let out a light laugh and headed into the theater. That Minako, she really did have a way of making him feel self-conscious. "Come on, you can't just end it with that." He persisted in a hushed voice as they took their seats down in the fifth row. Turning to the side she crossed her arms over her chest and raised a questioning brow. Oh, right; he had just ended the conversation that way earlier in the week. So this was what the sangria haired girl meant when she said that it wasn't fair; a little late to the game, wasn't he? But surely she was not about to let him sweat it out for the remained of the film, that was just cruel. "Minako." Hidetoshi whispered as he tapped her on the nose. "Secrets are no fun unless... uh, how did that go?"

Unable to contain the grade school chant the girl quickly replied. "Secrets, secrets, they're no fun, unless they're shared with everyone." Ha, he had her now. After speaking up to comment on that there was no way she could avoid his other inquiry. Their standoff lasted a good scene and a half but, finally, she rolled her eyes. "Oh nothing, I like it is all. Sheesh, am I not allowed to enjoy someone's name?" Well it was nice that she liked it, but why make such a big deal out of that? "It rolls off the tongue quite nicely." He supposed so, but it was not as though she was ever going to be saying it. When had she ever called him by his last name; not once, why would she start now? It would be going backwards in their friendship if she started using a formality such as that. She seemed to sense his confusion for she quickly attempted to clarify her previous statements. "It's like Joe Odagiri. Too bad you aren't a famous actor." She seemed to throw in the last part for humor, but neither party was laughing. Perhaps it was due to the fact that the joke was obviously forced.

Oh well, might as well play along. She didn't really seem interested in telling him what she was really thinking; but that was fine, he hardly informed her of what really went on in his mind. "H-hey, what is that supposed to mean?" With a light laugh the girl playfully stuck out her tongue. Now if a boy did that they would get punched in the face for being a cocky asshole, but girls, they could get away with anything. And, when they did something like that it was freaking adorable; where was the equality in that? "You only like my name because it reminds you of a celebrity?" She nodded quickly, then paused and shook her head; as if unsure as to exactly what was the correct response. He had meant it in jest, so why was she taking everything so seriously? It had to have something to do with his last name, right? But what could possibly be upsetting her? She said she liked it; shouldn't that be a good thing? Or was she only saying that and, deep down, she despised it? Either way now was a fine time to bring up something that he had no control over. "I bet you'd rather go to the movies with someone like that."

Frantically waving her hands in front of her, the girl's face contorted into one of shock. "Oh no, I was just kidding!" That was loud enough to draw a sharp 'shhh' from the woman next to them, but Minako did not seem to let it bother her. Actually, considering the rate at which she was talking, perhaps she had not even heard the lady. "Besides, actors are overrated; I'm sure they're very conceited too." Sliding back down in her seat the girl began to tug at the long white shirt cuff sticking out from her left jacket sleeve. "Besides… the people who are truly amazing are the ones no one knows about." A faint smile appeared on her lips at this; did she realize how confusing she was being? "They do their best every day and try to make the world a better place." Scarlet orbs flickering from the screen to her hands then back again, the girl hesitated a bit before speaking again. "They don't ask for any recognition; not now at least. They work towards a better future…" A light laugh escaped her lips as she threw in a final line that would be in the back of his mind for weeks to come. "…and don't waste time going to movies."

Was she referring to him; no, she couldn't be. He was not, by any stretch of the imagination, amazing. Hell, he had more flaws than the cared to count; and she had seen many of the firsthand. So, what exactly did she mean by that last phrase? Was there someone else that hated going to see films, was he missing something? It was indeed frustrating, but now was no time to try to pick her words apart. If he did that then he would not be able to just enjoy the moment; and who knew how many experiences he would have like this. It was 'important to cherish the moment', or so he had heard. Those stupid card commercials with the cheesy slogans always seemed to run during the rare occasions that he actually turned on the set in his room. Still, if so many people bought into them then there must be some truth to those words. Lightly patting the girl's head he attempted, much to her displeasure, to ruffle her hair a bit. "Getting deep on me all of a sudden? I thought we were just here to watch car chases, handsome stars, gunfights, and drawn-out gory deaths."

Slamming her hands over her lips Minako attempted to hold in the loud laughter that was trying to push its way out of her throat. That was more like it, this was the girl he knew and lo- was friends with; not some serious stick-in-the-mud. If he wanted to hang out with one of those he would just carry around a mirror. "You wish." Bringing a finger to her lips she mimicked the woman from before. "Now shhh, we're missing the best part!" How did she know if she had never seen it before? But questions aside he was fine with her quick judgment, it did seem like the most action filled sequences were about to come up; the movie was winding down after all. Leaning back in his seat Hidetoshi decided he might as well try to enjoy what was left of it; it might actually be enjoyable if he pretend that he was no so bias against films to begin with. A small object thumped against his shoulder and he glanced down to see the girl resting on him; alright, he could deal with that. Not a large invasion of personal space, and it could hardly give anyone the wrong idea.

xx

Carrying his jacket in a folded rectangle over his arm, the coal haired boy was surprised to find that it had actually begun to dry already."Ohhhh my god, that was so intense!" Minako yelled for what had to be the third time since they left the theater. "It was all boom, and bam, and crash!" Apparently her knowledge of film terminology was not necessary in describing the explosions they had just witnessed; but that just made it easier for him to understand, so there were no complaints. For the past ten minutes the girl had been going on and on about how extraordinary the ending was; and the gigantic fireworks display, when the antagonist's hideout was blown up, appeared to be her favorite part. He allowed himself to have release a small pent-up chuckle as she pounded a fist into the air in front of her, as if she too was punching the bad guy in the face. It was so terribly unladylike, but that was also why he loved it so much. She was different, that was for sure. How many teenage girls would go to a movie and come out fired up about the battle scenes rather than the cliché love affair the hero had with the innocent leading lady?

"I'll admit it was good." When she had first suggested they see a movie he had been hesitant, and the first part of the movie really lacked any real depth, but the rest had been quite amusing. On top of it all he had gotten to spend a, for the most part, lovely afternoon with Minako; that was what really mattered, he doubted the movie would have been half as good without her there to comment on it. He had also noticed that when she talked, while having her head placed against him, he could feel the vibrations of her voice. It was a strange feeling, and took a bit of time to get used to; but he had discovered that he did not hate it. Besides, that way she was easier to watch over; not only could he literally look down at her, but he could also be absolutely certain that no harm was going to come to the girl. He would give anything to have that sort of control all the time; not in an overbearing way, mind you, but just to be sure that she could live life to its fullest without having to worry about the multiple dangers out there.

The girl whipped around and punched him lightly on the shoulder. "Give credit where credit is due; it was better than good, it was awesome." Alright, alright, it wasn't half bad. Had he been sitting through the first half of the movie without such feelings of hatred, and did not have to leave for an extended period of time in the middle, then maybe he would have actually been able to get into it. The plot did appear to be lacking in a few spots but, if he looked at the action rather than the storyline, it was pretty good. Slowing down her pace a bit the girl nervously kicked at a small rock that had somehow made its way into the road. "…sorry about your jacket… I really do cause you a lot of trouble." Trouble, was she kidding; she had to be, right? Had it not been for her bright idea to go see a film he would have spent the remainder of the evening in his room studying; and, as much as he did not want to admit it, this was far more enjoyable. The next time Keisuke brought up the idea of catching a flick after school he would have to give it some serious thought instead of immediately shooting the plan down.

A light, and disgustingly carefree, laugh broke his stern face and Hidetoshi offered her a small smile. "By now I should expect something like this to happen." They worked pretty well together, but the gods of fate seemed to have it out for the pair. Fortunately she was never the victim of these misfortunes; unfortunately he routinely played that role. Not that he wanted the girl's cup to shatter at lunch, or her uniform to get wet, but sometimes it would be nice to be the one accidentally committing the act rather than receiving the blow. However, that was probably not the response she had wanted to hear, for Minako had not looked up once from the rock since. Gentle, he had to be gentle with girls; ugh, that was so much work. They were far more sensitive than boys and seemed to take everything personally, how troublesome. Bending forward a bit, to get on eye-level, he leaned in to show that he was very serious. "It's fine. God only knows I have enough of them in my closet." He had exactly eight of them to be precise, one for every day of school and an extra two in case something, like this, happened to one of them.

This seemed to sit better with her for the girl returned his smile. "Hey, Hidetoshi-san, I'm going to let you in on a secret…so don't tell anyone, alright?" Now what sort of secret could she possibly have? The girl seemed open enough, and god knew she had enough girlfriends with whom he was positive she shared every minute detail of her life. That was what female teenagers did in their free time, right? They talked about their lives, did their hair, gossiped, talked about themselves some more, read fashion magazines, and discussed how fat they thought they were. "I'm a hero." The girl said bluntly, as though she had stated something as simple as 'the sky is blue'. What did she mean, how was she… what? "But only secretly of course; that's the best way to go about things." With a firm nod Minako turned to him and struck the sailor moon pose; legs spread shoulder length apart, one hand on her hip, and the other in a peace sign on her forehead. Breaking out into a fit of laughter the girl wrapped her arms around her stomach to keep from toppling over. "I was just kidding! Man, you should have seen your face."

Crossing his arms in front of his chest the boy cast his gaze towards the quickly setting sun; he was going to have to get her home soon, the city was no place for a girl to be wandering around at night. "Oh, I know you are." He said seriously, causing her to look taken aback. She opened her mouth as id to protest but he listed up a hand to silence her. "Sure you may not fight evil by moonlight, but you've helped me a lot these past few months." She had said it earlier; 'give credit where credit is due', so he would. She had assisted him in many ways since they first met, even if she had not realized it. Just where might he be if the President had not insisted she join the Student Council? Most likely he would still be on the path to 'success', all reaming humanity scarified to achieve that goal. "I know I don't say it often enough, but I really do appreciate you Minako." The look of awe on her face made him feel extremely uncomfortable, so he quickly attempted to change the subject. "Now what was up with my name earlier?"

The sangria haired girl's face turned a deep maroon shade and she instantly turned her head away. "Oh, right, that. Don't worry about what I said before… it's just something that I could get accustom to, that's all." Get accustom to, what was there to get accustom to? Certainly she did not plan on using that rather than his name from now on; he would be insulted almost if that was what she was implying. After all they had been through she was going to start using some useless honorifics that would only distance them further; unacceptable. Pulling out her cellphone the girl made a quick note of the time. "Twenty minutes until the next train…we can make it there in ten, so let's walk slowly, alright?" How slow would they have to walk to buy them an extra ten minutes? Not that he was about to criticize her idea, he was thrilled that she hadn't suggested that they split up quite yet. Sure he had work to do, but this was far more enjoyable than taking notes. Fidgeting nervously with her shirt cuffs again Minako coughed nervously. "Ummm…N-Now's the part where you ask if you can hold my hand."

A dark flush enveloped the coal haired boy's face as he pulled back. Certainly he had heard wrong; she could not have just said something so forward, it just was not possible. "Oh, er-" Did she really want to do something so terribly impractical? He was not in it for anything long-term, not yet at least. Sure he would love to enter a relationship with the scarlet eyed girl someday, but not now. Hadn't she understood what he told her on the roof? It had been clearly states that they both had more important things to do. Though maybe he had given her the wrong idea by inquiring as to if she wanted to hang out; but he specifically said that he was not asking her on a date, there was no way to misinterpret that. "Y-You see…" How could he say no without damaging any chance he might have had at holding her hand in the future? Nervously fiddling with the string around his neck Hidetoshi attempted to assess the situation and al possible outcomes. Rejecting her offer would mean, in a sense, rejecting her; and that would definitely end badly. Accepting it however would give her the impression that he did want to enter a more serious relationship; and that would also end badly. Still, one was far worse than the other; so, taking a deep breath he prepared his next question. "Might I… I mean, would it be alright if I-"

The words just wouldn't seem to come out of his mouth; it was so stupid, he felt like a scared little kid. "Good enough." The voice was soft but clearly pleased with what she had heard so far. Grabbing the boy's hand with her own, Minako tightly interlocked their fingers. How strange, she had not even given him a chance to finish. How did she know whether or not he was going to agree to it? But, he had to admit, her small fingers did seem to fit perfectly within his. Unable to bring himself to look at the hands, or her for that matter, he tried to focus on something else; something that did not make his face flare up and heart beat frantically. "You know what I like about you Hidetoshi-san?" The girl began, causing him to become even more flustered. This was exactly why he did not want to hear what she had to say on the roof; but he promised he would listen someday, however he meant in a few years or something as opposed to mere days later. "You don't pretend to be anything you're not. You're honest, kind, and true to your beliefs."

**

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A/N: **Does Port Island have a sports team other than the Gekkoukan ones? Huh, maybe it's because they're not an actual place? Anyway it totally killed any idea of using the typical "how about them sox" conversation starter haha. Anyway, sorry this chapter isn't that great, it's my least favorite so far. I think all the breaks I took while writing might have been part of the problem; I would write a paragraph here, two there, skip a day, repeat. But the good news is I've finally learned basic calculus…only a week after the quiz I needed it for… and know I did horrible on.

FrizFroz- Thanks so much for your corrections, I went back and fixed them as soon as I woke up. I guess I really shouldn't write after midnight, huh? Haha. Oh my god, you don't skip the paragraphs and got right to the dialogue? Holy hat! I just sort of assumed that everyone did. Well thank you, that means a lot; really, it does! And I totally know what you mean it, like, fits perfectly; I adore Les Mis. I love that you caught that little line btw, but now that I'm over the halfway point I don't know if I'm going to be able to bring myself to end it like the game. I mean, he's finally doing so good for himself… it almost seems too cruel to be all 'NO.' Maybe I could write a good ending and a bad ending, post them both, and let people decided which they would rather read; like how the game gives you the option. I don't know, would that work?

Ceille- Those things are AMAZING. I still have my 'My little Pony' one from the 90's and I adore it, so shhh, hahah

STG- haha like the accustomed to her face one? I've never actually seen it but I totally went and googled the songs after you said that. Oh, by the way, I love you; seriously, you're so delightful :D All of your comments are a step beyond nice, they really bring a smile to my face. I was coming out of calc when I looked down at the email alert on my phone and it just made me so insanely happy. You're amazing (don't worry, my lexicon fails pretty badly) and thank you!

**Next Chapter:** A Better Day! The holidays had never been a big deal in the Odagiri household; well, aside from the ridiculous decorations his mother felt the need to put up. But this year was going to be different, even if he did not want it to be.


	7. A Better Day

**A/N:** Winding down, only two more chapters. Hope it's been okay so far. DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ATLUS OR ANY CHARACTERS OR THIS TOTALLY AWESOME SONG FROM A VERY POTTER SEQUEL.

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_So many nights I'd pray  
for a better life, a better day  
but I never thought that it'd come true  
now that it's here, I don't know what to do  
and I'm trying not to cry_

_-AVPS_

It was surprising how quickly word spread around school that he had been at the movies with the sangria haired girl. Not that he was one to point fingers or anything; but it was definitely due to Kaz and that Yuko girl. It had to have been, they were the only ones who actually saw them together. But, as he told everyone who approached him with inquires, it was not a date. And, for that matter, neither were the four movies, three lunches, five dinners, and countless excursions since then. Hidetoshi was simply not the dating type, it was not his style. The only problem was that it seemed to be her sort of thing; which, at times, could be a bit difficult for the dark eyes boy to wrap his mind around. There had to be a ton of guys out there, who were far more interesting and handsome than him, who would gladly go out with Minako if given the chance. Why didn't she just pick one of them? Not that he wanted her to or anything, good heavens no; but if she really wanted the instant gratification that went along with having a boyfriend now then she was barking up the wrong tree.

October came and went without too much trouble; there were some minor conflicts, but nothing major. The first being his unwillingness to wear the pink scarf to school every day… after a great deal of nagging, and the threat of waterworks, he lost that battle. The next clash revolved around the concept of public displays of affection. By this point he had accepted that he was going to have to get used to the hand-holding aspect of spending time with her, but he absolutely forbade the girl to even suggest going further than that. Also, holding hands meant that they should be directly next to each other, not spread out through the halls making it difficult for the rest of the population to walk. She had protested a bit but, fortunately, it ended with him being victorious. The only hard part came when he was trying to convince his fellow classmates that, although they constantly had their fingers interlocked, the two were still not dating. They were perfectly free to see other people, although neither party seemed to want to, and had no intimate relationship; well there was some emotional investment, but none that he would broadcast to the entire school.

As fall continued their not-so-secret not-dating status was becoming more than a little embarrassing. Part of him was thrilled that she wanted to spend time with him, and they had already discussed that hanging out more than three times a week was far too much, but there was always that little voice in the back of his mind that questioned where his priorities lay. He wanted to obtain the perfect grade point average and achieve the title of Class President all by next year; no, he didn't want to, he had to. Was spending all this time with her really the best way that he could spend his time? And he definitely did not want to be labeled as just another part of a couple, which they were not. Hidetoshi wanted to make a name for himself with his own hand; not be known as 'that guy who's not dating the girl he's always with'. First off that was terribly long, and no one would ever be able to remember his true identity come election time, and second he was so much more than the bubbly haired girl who clung to his side… though, she did happened to be the best part of him.

"Cut that out." The coal haired boy mumbled as he batted his friend's hand away. Why had he invited Keisuke to hang out with him; really, it was not his best decision. For the past few months he had done nothing but tease him about Minako but, apparently, 'that was what friends were for'. Not that he believed any of that nonsense, the brunette just said it enough that the phrase had become engraved in his mind. "I don't care if it's the weekend, one should always look their best." He politely informed the boy who had been attempting to loosen the buttons on Hidetoshi's cream dress shirt. It was not a fashion statement; he merely prided himself in looking formal and proper. There was simply no way that he would ever be caught going out in public dressed down like his friend; not to mention that he actually did not own any sweatshirts or jeans. A light laugh caught his attention and he glanced over questioningly at the snickering boy. Why were they friends, honestly, all they did was bicker and try to push each other's buttons. Yet they seemed to enjoy the company none-the-less, how peculiar. "What is it now?"

Scratching the back of his head the glassed wearing by merely shrugged. "I'm surprised you could find time to hang out with me in your busy schedule." Oh please, they hung out as much now as they ever did. But he wasn't saying it as a complaint, it was intended as a joke; right? Not the funny 'haha' type but the 'I'm making fun of you' type, splendid. He decided to let it go and just nodded as they stepped onto the escalator. Would it really kill the place to install some stairs? Sure it was nice to have the option of merely standing and still reaching your destination, but when you wanted to get in and out it just took too long. He could have been there already; alas, the woman in front of them did not seem like she was going to start walking up the moving stairs any time soon. Sitting on the conjoined railing, which was terribly unsafe, his friend gave him the look he had come to know so well as of late. The dark eyed boy let out a small sigh, fine, if he had something else to say he might as well spit it out now and get it over with. "You know what the term whipped means, right?"

Hilarious, oh what a knee-slapper that one was. Because, by spending time with someone he cared about, he was definitely becoming totally enthralled by her to the point where he would do anything she said. God, that was so stupid; he said no to Minako all the time when he disagreed with her, did his own thing, and would not even consider inquiring as to how high she wanted him to jump. The comment had no hard evidence to back it up and, therefore, he refused to take it seriously. "Oh screw you." Like the boy was one to talk anyway. After all his thoughts about rebelling, and declarations of separation from his father, the boy had decided that studying in the medical field was what he was meant to do all along. "And I do know what it means; it means becoming a doctor just like your father always wanted." So there; he could dish it out just as well as his curly haired friend. Of course their witty banter was just another sign of their friendship and, with an exchange of smiles and nods, the boys indicated that there was no real harm being done to either's ego.

"Touché." Keisuke replied as they exited the escalator and surveyed the second floor. "So why are we here anyways? The mall has never exactly been your favorite place in the world." That was one way of putting it; although a more accurate description of his feelings might have been more negative in regards to the shopping area. There were just too many people for his liking; and they were not even doing anything productive. Many of the shoppers were just walking along, taking their good sweet time, and chatting with whomever they were with. It was a downright unproductive place; imagine what could be accomplished if, rather than waste time here, people worked an extra hour or two at their jobs. Was that really such a horrible idea? Shanking Hidetoshi out of his thoughts the doctor-in-the-making put his hands on boy's cheeks. "When you first suggested it I thought perhaps you had a fever." Looking down under his glasses Keisuke observed the lack of added color in his face. "But you seem fine. Unless…it might be a terrible brain eating disease that will have you six feet under by the end of the week." Laughing loudly his friend offered a terribly dorky grin. "Nah, I'm just screwing with you."

With an uncomfortable chuckle of his own Hidetoshi hit the boy's hands away once more. "Stop touching me; your idiocy might be contagious." It was times like this that he wondered why someone like Keisuke chose to hand around him. He was grumpy, too serious, and really not all that pleasant to be around. But his friend was funny, could be outgoing if he put his mind to it, and just a nice guy. They really were on opposite ends of the spectrum; so then, why were they friends? It happened all of a sudden too, back in grade school. He just kind of showed up at the coal haired boy's desk one day, introduced himself, and then proceeded to stick by him for the remainder of their youth. So, in a way, he was extremely grateful to the absentminded teenage, who was now staring through the bookstore window. If Keisuke had not approached him and initiated the friendship, well then, he would definitely have gone through the majority of his school career completely alone. "I just need to pick something up; it shouldn't take too long." As he continued in the direction of the music store the dark eyed boy threw in a final comment. "Besides, you were the one complaining about not having anything to do today."

He had called at a ridiculously early hour of the morning and whined for approximately ten minutes about being bored. Desperate to get back to sleep the deeply annoyed Hidetoshi had suggested that his friend accompany him to the mall at a more reasonable time of day. Unfortunately he had only gotten the boy to agree upon waiting until noon; so he had to get up at ten in order to shower and get to the station on time, what a wasted Sunday. "Alright, alright; just blame me." Well it was his fault. Had Keisuke just slept in, like an average teenager on his day off from school, they could still be enjoying their day off rather than strolling around this obnoxious place. "You know you certainly do snap a lot. I thought people who were in love were supposed to be happy all the time." This again, really now? If the brunette kept using the l-word to mock him they were going to have a real problem. Sure he was fond of Minako, but there was absolutely no way that he was in love. That sort of thing was for hopeless romantics with no real ambition; he had more important aspirations than some girl. Glaring daggers at the boy Hidetoshi attempted to let him know that he was dancing on the line of being funny and receiving a blow to the stomach. "Kidding. But what did you need to get? Something for the girlfr-"

"She's not my girlfriend." 'He interrupted; Keisuke of all people should know that. Relationships like that were for a different period in his life, preferably one when he had an abundance of spare time. If she was still there when that time arose then great, marvelous, he would definitely consider asking the sangria haired girl out on an actual date. And, if she was not, then he would find someone else; or not, it didn't really matter, he was just fine on his own. But, for now, that type of fraternization was not in the plan. Crossing his arms over his chest the boy refused to let those thoughts plague his mind any longer. How did that saying go? Oh, right 'Me thinks thou dost protest too much'; great, but what were you supposed to do when it actually wasn't true? If he did not protest at all he would wind up completely losing control of the situation. But, if he kept insisting that it wasn't true people were going to begin to believe it was anyway. Where was the logic in this method of thinking? Wait, he was thinking about it again; damn it all. "…Come on, let's go."

xx

"Have a marvelous day at school, dear." Normally he was up and out of the house before the woman was even awake; but, today, as he came down the stairs there she was at the kitchen table, already baking. It was to be expected though; she always made a lavish spread of assorted cookies on her favorite holiday of the year. Of course, his father always refused to accept them all; then she would complain about how they were going to make her fat, and give them to Hidetoshi to bring to school. Where, like always, Keisuke would be waiting with an expectant smile. This process had been repeating every year since fifth grade, and he doubted that there would be reason for it to change now. As he passed by the shrine the boy pulled his jacket a little tighter around him; it was so dreadfully cold, he certainly hoped that Maiko was staying warm on days such as this rather than playing on the jungle gym after school. Granted, he would probably be warmer if he wore the scarf Minako had made him, but it was so feminine; he could not put it on without feeling incredibly embarrassed. And if his mother or Keisuke ever saw it, well, he'd never hear the end of it.

As he neared the entrance way a small scarlet and black blur up ahead caused him to quicken his pace a bit. Had she been waiting outside for him? Sure they met up at the gate most days; but he had already gone over the ground rules, if it was snowing, raining, cold, or just plain miserable out she was to head right inside and he would be along shortly. She had been standing out there for god knows how long in a skirt as well; maybe he needed to think about talking to the principal about a change in the female uniform. It seemed awfully unfair that all the got was a wool skirt, rather than cotton, and thicker knee socks. If anything they should, at very least, have the option of wearing pants. As he approached the girl, whose nose was now as red as her hair, he could not help but smile a bit. Sure he was upset that she endangered her health by waiting in the cold, but he was also happy to know that she wanted to see him. "Merry Christmas, Hide-chan!" The disciplinarian cringed a bit as he nodded. One could thank his oh so kind best friend for that one; the glasses wearing boy had decided it would be positively hilarious to inform Minako of his mother's pet-name. However it should also be noted that he did not hate it nearly as much when she said it.

"Merry Christmas Minako-kun." With a sweep of the hand he offered up a formal bow to the girl who, with a small burst of laughter, returned the gesture with a drawn-out curtsey. It may have been foolish, but she seemed to enjoy it; and it was not like there was anyone else outside to see them. Even if there was they should be busy with their own lives, and not watching two freezing students exchange a formal greeting. "Ready to head in, you look a bit cold." He teased, causing the crimson eyed girl o stick her tongue out a bit. Yup, after so many months it was still adorable; amazing, how long would it take for the charm to wear off? Offering out his left hand, which she eagerly took, the two headed into Gekkoukan High School; to think, he heard some countries actually got classes off on Christmas Day, how strange. As nice as it sounded to have a day to himself what exactly did those people do? Was it just a random break in the week used to study or write papers; or did they have some sort of traditions that he was unaware of? Sure he knew all the decorating the tree nonsense, but people could not possibly so simpleminded that they found that to be an enjoyable task.

First period was uneventful as always; history was just so dreadfully dull, really, why did they always have to focus on the past? What was their reasoning again; oh, right, 'those who are clueless to history are bound to repeat it', or something like that. But he knew enough by this point to realize that it probably was not a good idea to attempt to enslave an entire race of people and force them to build pyramids. Was he supposed to be surprised when these emperors and kings mysteriously died? If he was stuck working under them than Hidetoshi would consider making them disappear as well. He knew all he needed in order to still be kind when he held a position of power. This was all just the 'we've run out of things to teach you but still have five months of school left' filler teachers gave. What a truly depressing existence those people had to have; coming to work every single day where the students obviously did not care about what you were trying to teach them. If he had to pick the worst career a person could have… well it would be working as a medical examiner, but being a teacher was still pretty close to the top of that list.

Glancing at the clock he began to tap the eraser of his number two pencil against the wooden desk. The day certainly was dragging. Not that he was in a rush to get home, if he arrived back any earlier than four his mother would plead with him to go see his father with her; but class just seemed to be even more useless today. Perhaps he should ask Keisuke if he wanted to grab an early dinner after school, or go see a movie. Now that he had been with Minako they did not seem quite so terrible, and they were definitely better than listening to that woman rant about family values. Family values, what a joke; he hadn't seen that man in years. Ever since he was deemed old enough to stay home by himself in sixth grade the boy had completely written the older man off; the only thing he was good for was making sure Hidetoshi could focus on his studies rather than having to get a job. How that exactly worked out he was not quite sure, probably had something to do with the company's plea bargain; he tried not to think about that, besides he had been too young to actually remember much about the trial.

When the bell finally rang for lunch he was actually contemplating the idea of simply leaving. His next period instructor was absent anyway; no one would even miss him. God, if he had to listen to more of that arcana and tarot card garbage he was seriously going to complain to the school board. Slamming his thermos down on Hidetoshi's desk his friend gave him one of the biggest, dumbest, grins he had ever seen. "Cookies tomorrow." Well someone had a one track mind, didn't they? Sometimes he wondered if Keisuke only hung out with him in order to acquire large quantities of free food. "So," He began, pulling over a seat and moving up much closer than wanted. "Got anything special planned with the little lady?" The wink he received let the coal haired boy know that he missing an important detail, but what was it? Minako? He was supposed to make plans with her? The thought hadn't even crossed his mind; they had plans for next Monday, why would he make separate ones for today? "Oh no, don't tell me you plan on just staying in tonight." No, he was going to ask this theatrical boy if he wanted to hang out; but, apparently, that was not going to happen. "You have to do something special! Girls love Christmas!"

"They do?" Hidetoshi inquired, surprise clearly evident in his voice. He had gotten her a present, but the boy just assumed that he would give it to her after class. Was this holiday really such a big deal to girls? Sure his mother got excited, but she was like a child a good percent of the time. More reasonable high school students would not be into the same sort of Christmas-craze, right? However, what if it was a big deal? Would it be a shortcoming if he did not at least attempt to make plans with her? Never-the-less that seemed like something a boyfriend was supposed to do, and they were not officially together. Of course, he couldn't risk upsetting her, that would just be screwing his future self over. "Ah, but she's having lunch with her friend Aigis today, and I don't want to bother her." Apparently Aigis was the name of the blonde girl he had seen her with before; she sounded nice enough from the stories Minako told but, when he finally met her, the girl seemed a bit peculiar. He could not place his finger on just what it was though; perhaps it had something to do with how she accentuated certain syllables? But he would never be so presumptuous as to question her about it. God forbid it turned out to be the dialect where she was from… then he would feel simply horrible.

"Well I didn't say that you had to physically ask her; just send a text or something." Right, he had technology that could get the message across without him having to scour the school looking for her. But still, wouldn't that be interrupting her lunch and intruding on her girl-time, as she called it? Well, it looked like all the coal haired boy could do was compose a polite text and hope that she responded positively. Removing the sleek, metallic, device from his pocket Hidetoshi began to slowly tap away at the keys. He had never been too great at typing on such a small keyboard; who decided that texting was a good form of communication anyway? It was like society had taken a step backwards in recent years. If a person wanted to talk to their friend they would send them a message; oh goodness, could you imagine how amazing it would be to be able to call that person and actually hear their voice? But how would you ever do that? Wait a second; you had a phone that you were taking the time to type on, why not just hit dial? It was truly maddening. Giving himself a mental slap the boy proceeded with his mission. 'I know this is short notice, so I won't be offended if you have other plans; but would you like to hang out tonight?' There, not too forward and it even gave her an easy out if she was busy. Just as he was about to his send Keisuke reached over and stole the phone out of his hand. "All my love, Hide-chan; xoxoxo and sent! … You can thank me later by naming you two's first child after me."

Now murder had always seemed wrong in the disciplinarian's mind; not even those eye for an eye killings, or court approved executions were acceptable. But, for once, he felt the urge to flat out slaughter the brunette, who seemed quite pleased with his most recent actions. "You idiot; I would never say anything like that. You're going to give her the wrong idea." He hissed as he snatched back his phone in case, god forbid, the now laughing boy decided to send any more misleading messages. Should he quickly write a retraction before she got the chance to read it? What would he say; that he was recalling the love offered up in the previous message? Oh god, that would make him seem like a jerk who was just trying to screw with her emotions. "Oh Keisuke, what have you done?" He inquired, resisting the urge to slam his head against the desk repeatedly. It did not matter whether or not the boy had only the best of intentions, his meddling was a headache waiting to happen. Why would he ever want to name his child after such a pain in the neck? Not that he even planned on having children someday, but still. His thoughts were cut off abruptly by a soft vibration; an incoming text message. As his dark orbs glanced at the screen he could not help but be surprised at the response. 'Yes, yes, a million times yes!' With a reluctant sigh Hidetoshi met his friend's gaze and merely shrugged. "Not the first… but maybe the third."

A grin spread across the boy's face as he leaned over the desk to try to catch a glimpse at the screen. But, quickly positioning himself so that he had his back to the nosey boy, Hidetoshi sent off another quick message. 'Great, meet me at the Pawlownia Mall at eight'. That should give him enough time to think of something to actually do with the girl. It was too cold to just sit outside and talk; and even if they did that he had just about run of things to tell her. How strange, shouldn't he be excited to be spending more time with her? Probably, but it was hard; he did not want to let her down, or be viewed as boring, so he was always trying his absolute hardest to keep her engaged in the topic at hand. "Thank you Keisuke, you're such a good friend. I love you." The brunette boy piped up; mocking the lack of appreciation he got for his efforts. "Oh it's really no problem my dear Hide-chan. In fact, I simply adore helping you out of the kindness of my heart." Putting away his phone the coal haired boy paid him no mind. "Once again, it's supposed to be funny."

xx

Bright lights illuminated the small circular area and it looked as though the holly gods had been more than generous. What was fascination with that leafy plan anyway? There was nothing special about it; in fact, it was quite plain if he could hazard an opinion. Bulbs in the design of large cones, or trees but they really looked more like the geometric shape, were positioned strategically along the fountain and hard large light up stars atop them. The people who owned the pharmacy and antique shop certainly seemed to have gone all out; their businesses were absolutely covered in hanging decorations. Maybe he was the only one who found the holiday to be not that big of a deal. But really now, when had it become this popular? Slouching into the bench in front of the fountain he stuck his hands in the dark navy blazer's pockets for warmth. Stupid temperature, why did it always have to be so gosh darn cold? Sure they were on the water but one would assume that they were far enough inland to not have the additional breeze. Still, his main concern was what he was wearing at the moment. It seemed appropriate, but he was not entirely sure what a person was supposed to wear on an occasion such as this; and something told him that the goddamn pink scarf was not it. But, after his mother had left to see his father, he put it on anyways before heading out the door so as to please the sangria haired girl; although now he was regretting that decision.

"Hide-chan!" Came the singsong voice as Minako hurried over. Thank goodness she wasn't too dressed up, a simple sweater and modest skirt with boots. Not that she did not look incredibly cute, but he really would have preferred to see her bundled up in a warm jacket and wearing pants. Sliding onto the bench next to him the girl scooted up beside him and gave a light laugh. "I was getting worried that, perhaps, you weren't going to have time for me today." Oh crud, Keisuke had been right; how in the world did that make sense? What sort of insight to women could a guy like that possibly have? Imagine if he had not asked her, would she have to spend the night alone? A few months ago, when he brought up the idea of asking her father for permission to take her out to dinner, she had mentioned that her parents had passed away; how she maintained her cheerful outlook on life he would never know. "But then I guess I would have just hung out with Yukari and Fuuka. They were planning a girl's-only party for tonight I believe." Oh, well never mind. She would have been fine without him; maybe gotten a stomachache if Fuuka decided to bake anything for the evening, but for the most part she would have been okay.

Actually, hanging out with her girlfriends might have been a more enjoyable experience than talking to him. "Well that sounds like fun, are you sure you wouldn't rather be there?" A sharp jab to the side indicated that she would clearly not prefer to be reading fashion magazines and watching cliché romance movies all night. "Ouch, hey, I was just kidding." Not really, but a little white lie every now and then never hurt anyone. "If my opinion matters at all I'm glad you're here." What else would he have been doing; studying, writing a paper, seeing a movie with Keisuke? Had he been unable to make plans with someone his mother would have attempted to drag him along to visit his father and, even though he now respected the man for his decision, it would be extremely uncomfortable to go see him after all these years. Hidetoshi had been distancing himself from the man throughout his entire childhood into his young adult years; what would he even say, 'sorry I pretended that you did not exist for the past six years'? Yes, that would be a great opening line; besides, who knew if the man even wanted to see him?

"Me too." Jumping to her feet the girl tugged on his arm. "It's cold; let's walk a bit, alright?" Well maybe if she was wearing more she wouldn't be quite as chilly. As he stood up the boy with slicked back hair began to remove his blazer for her. Sure it would not match the colorful skirt, but at least it would keep her a bit warmer. "Oh no, I'm fine. Besides, you'll freeze without that." Offering out his hand as always the boy almost wished that she wouldn't take it; his pocket was so much warmer than the cold air. But, of course, she took it in her own icy one. So she could knit a scarf but not mittens for herself, where was the logic in that? For a bit they just walked in silence; unfortunately there was not very far to go, so they merely circled the perimeter a few times. He was going to bring up this point when it dawned on him how uncharacteristically quiet the girl was being. Was there something on her mind; did he not invite her to hang out soon enough and now she was upset? "D-Do you think you might want to do this again… some time?"

Well that was unexpected to say the least. "What? Like next Christmas you mean?" The girl turned a bit so that she was no longer facing him and nodded. What was the matter with her; she seemed terribly unlike herself today. Actually, she had been like this for a while now; since the beginning of the month to be exact. Sure she was the same person, but every now and then she would have moments like these where everything just seemed very morbid. Where was the ray of sunshine he used to know, instead of this gloomy girl? Of course the winter made most people a tad more depressed than normal, it was cold and the sun set earlier, but this was taking it to the extreme. "Planning in advance, eh?" He inquired, trying to sound as positive as he could manage. But it drew nothing but a frail smile from the girl. As of late he just felt so out of the loop; like she knew something terrible and was keeping him in the dark about it. For a while he thought that maybe she was contemplating breaking up with him, which was a ridiculous idea considering they were not even going out; but her most recent comment made it seem as though that definitely was not the case.

The girl's grip on his hand tightened a bit as she spoke again. "It's just good to make plans for the future." He supposed that was right, but why the need to cut off the circulation to his fingers? Was this really such a difficult topic for her to discuss; it was only a year away, three hundred and sixty-five little days. Next Christmas would be here in no time; they would be seniors so there was no worry about having one of them off at college. She really need not worry about that. If anything she should be concerned with where they would be in two years. Well, not that she should be concerned with it, but if she was looking for something to fret over that would be it. Besides, why make plans so far in advance anyways; he had not asked her here until lunchtime today, and that had worked out nicely. Was this all because of his delay though? She was worried that, maybe, because he had not asked her until the very last minute, that he would completely forget to invite her next year. But that seemed like she was thinking a little too deeply about things and, not that he doubted her ability to think things through, it seemed very unlike Minako. "It will give you a reason for fighting."

This was a tad more alarming. He often wondered about that thing Junpei had said a while ago involving fighting; surely she was not putting her life in danger every night, but where did she go? Sometimes, more so since the start of December, she came to school exhausted claiming that she had been up all night studying; but that was definitely not it. Not to mention that she often had more bruises than could be attributed to her clumsy nature. Whatever was going on, it wasn't right. However, every time he tried to bring it over, she would deny everything and simply stop talking to him until Hidetoshi dropped the subject. The worry kept him up at night though; there she was a very precious person to him, getting hurt all the time and there was nothing he could do to stop it. "Fighting? Oh, you mean like putting in the effort to do well next year? Yeah, I suppose you're right." That wasn't what she meant; but, perhaps, it would give him piece of mind to believe that was what she was implying. Pulling his arm out to the side he turned the girl around to face him and dropped to one knee. "Alright then, Minako-kun, will you allow me the privilege of having your company next Christmas?"

Putting the back of her spare hand on her forehead dramatically the girl let out a loud gasp. "Oh Hide-chan! This is all so sudden!" It was difficult to keep a straight face at this point, but he tried his hardest. After all, she loved this sort of thing; it was why they bowed to each other and often linked arms. She, apparently, had seen an old fashioned movie that took place in the mid nineteen-twenties, and that was how couples acted in it. The sangria haired girl had completely fallen head over heels for that sort of 'polite romance' and so he tried to incorporate it whenever possible. Especially in cases such as now, when she looked particularly down. "But of course I will." Not that he expected her to say no, but the theatrics of the event made it that much more amusing. So, attempting to be dashing, he kissed her hand before standing back up. "I am such a giver." Minako muttered under her breath and the two broke into a small fit of laughter. There, so she could still be cheered up. He had heard about students becoming depressed to the point where they no longer attended classes, hung out with friends, or even went outside. It was called Apathy Syndrome, or something, he was a tad unsure as to the details of the illness.

Noting the girl's quickly reddening nose and ears he decided that a change of venue was in order. "Want to grab some coffee?" Nodding furiously they picked up the pace a bit to reach the source of warmth quicker. "After you mademoiselle." With a small curtsy Minako hurried through the door and into the festively decorated coffee house. "Want to grab a seat and I'll get the drinks?" It was almost humorous, neither of them actually drank coffee, but that was always how he inquired as to getting beverages. It just sounded incorrect to say 'wanna grab some mint tea with milk and sugar?'. As he poured the small cup of milk into the girl's cup, which had an overpowering minty aroma, he tried not to gag at the thought of mixing a dairy product with the several small bags of milk he knew she was going to add in at the table. Normally people substituted one for the other; like if they had tea with milk, or tea with honey, but not both. No matter, it was not as though he was the one who had to drink it. The Odagiri boy was perfectly content with his plain, black, earl grey tea.

"Thanks, it smells delicious." She complimented as he handed her the drink before sitting on the opposite side of the booth. How anyone could find that delicious he wound never know; but the sweet girl was happy, and that was all he could really ask for. At least, she appeared to be happy until her crimson orbs became lost in the steaming liquid. It was never a good sign when she suddenly fell quiet; and it usually meant that she was about to slip into one of her modes where what she said no longer began to make any sense. "What would you do if you found out that the world was coming to an end?" He looked at her oddly but she would not meet his gaze; the tea seemed to be far too interesting for her to bother looking up. Bringing a hand up to the side of her face the girl began to fiddle with a loose lock of hair. Was she being serious right now; how did she expect him to react to such a question? This was all so unlike her; where was the upbeat and joyful girl he had fallen in love with and, more importantly, how could he get her back?

Placing his cup on the table Hideotshi stared intently at the girl. "What are you talking about?" It sounded a bit more firm than he had meant it to; and he noticed her recoil a bit. This was no good, what was the matter? He was unable to help so long as she kept everything bottled up inside. So what if it was a secret, he would not even dream of telling anyone. She had his complete faith and trust but, apparently, he did not have hers. The girl's hands began to shake a bit and his newest concern was that she might spill the scolding hot water all over herself. "Minako, answer me." Don't tell him those cults had gotten to her too. She was so nice and friendly, not to mention that she had no immediate family left, she would be an easy target. He saw them around town, preaching about the end of the world and some sort of salvation from a Nyx character. A few girls in his class seemed to be obsessed with this mystery man, for they talked about their love for him non-stop despite the fact that they had never so much as met him. Of course, that was probably half of the appeal; in their minds he could be whatever they wanted him to be.

"Say, hypothetically, this was your last Christmas. How would you really want to spend it? Perhaps go home to your mother or go with her to visit your father?" There was an unspoken bitterness in the words that was actually a bit reassuring. Anger, frustration, whatever it was it meant that she had not become apathetic to life in general. Thank heavens, what would he have done if she fell victim to that terrible disease? Heck, what could he do except for try to wait it out with her; and if she never recovered? Well, he was going to be stuck acting like a total moron for the rest of his life in order to get her to smile. But that did not sound like too horrible of a fate; it was not like he would abandon her or anything. Oh dear, this really was becoming a prominent though in his mind; but how could he get rid of it, by constantly cheering her up? "I just mean… you wouldn't want to waste it here, having tea with me." This time her voice was softer, more beaten down by life, and hey eyes just looked tired. What sort of torment went on inside the girl's mind, and why did she refuse to share the burden?

With a quick, and seemingly carefree, laugh he tapped her gently on the nose. "If this was my last Christmas then I'd want to do this." He said it more because it seemed like the right thing to say but, the more he thought about it, the more accurate a representation of his feelings it seemed to be. He could not think of anything better than spending an evening with Minako. Even if the world was ending in a month, or even tomorrow, he would still want to spend today with her. Gazing out the window he gestured towards the dark night sky with his left hand. "However, I would want there to be snow." He said firmly, causing her to look up in confusion. "All movie representations of Christmas have snow; and I know how much you adore films." At this point a soft smile broke free from the girl's worried face and she even allowed herself a small laugh. Much better, she needed to smile; her face was too pretty to be plagued by such an unhappy expression. "So stop being so down and drink your nauseating milky, sugary, mint tea. Don't you know it's my job to be the cynical one?"

As the girl took a large sip of her disgusting drink he could not help but chuckle at how easily she could go from depressed to cheerful. It truly was a wonder; when he was angry he felt that same emotion for days, not just five minutes. Bur maybe that just meant that she was more mature then him. Reaching across the table to the sugar container the girl added another three small bags. So scratch that, maybe she was not more mature than him; but she certainly did have a certain characteristic that he was lacking. Actually, come to think of it, everyone seemed to be lacking it. There was something special about Minako, some different aura that she possessed that made her stand out in a crowd. How curious that someone as amazing as her was wasting her time with someone as boring as him. "Oh, um…" She began, cheeks flushing a bit in embarrassment. "I made you something." He could feel his heart stop in horror. Oh god, please, please, please don't let it be pink mittens to match the scarf. He would die, physically die, if that was the case. Taking out a small box the girl handed it to him with a gigantic smile. Slowly he peeled back the paper, terrified of what might be inside. "It's a hat!"

Oh thank heaven, it wasn't pink. Pulling out the small knit object he gave it a once over. It was like a ski cap, somewhat, but with looser stitching and some gaps in-between, but they might just have been mistakes and not part of the pattern. All things considered it was much better than the pink scarf. The only problem was that he did not wear hats, they messed up his hair an unbelievable amount. But oh well, he supposed that now was as good a time as ever to start. And it would even keep his head warm in the cold weather; that was the way the most heat escaped the body. "Thank you, I love it." Hidetoshi replied sincerely. "It's even better because you made it." One could only imagine how much time she must have spent on it, add onto that the time for his scarf, boy was he a major inconvenience to her. Hopefully this had all been done after her homework was completed or he would blame himself for her academic shortcomings. "I'm afraid my gift isn't nearly as wonderful." After seeing this his present was going to look so bad; perhaps he should take up knitting or something in order to be able to put the same sort of effort into his gifts.

Removing a rectangular box from his pocket the boy nudged it across the table. It was covered with grey wrapping paper of course; he was a boring person after all and his color choices really tended to reflect that fact. "I thought about efficiency, not fashion; sorry." He knew the situation was bad when he had to apologize before she even opened the gift. Maybe he should have listened to Keisuke that day at the mall and gotten her something else. Not the extremely inappropriate lingerie that the brunette boy had suggested, but some music or jewelry. Opening the present the girl merely stared into the box, as if puzzled by the gift within. "They're earmuffs with headphones built in." He explained, awkwardly playing with the ribbon around his neck. Did she hate it? Maybe he should offer to return it and get her something else, like a bracelet; girls liked those, right? "I know how much you enjoy your music, but it's so cold in the winter, I want you to stay safe." At that she picked the headphones out of their wrapping and hugged them close as if he had given her a stuffed animal. Was she really content with such a lousy gift?

"You're so sweet Hidetoshi-san." At the sound of his actual name he could feel the blood begin to rise to his face so he quickly took a sip of his tea to draw the focus away from himself. Thankfully she seemed preoccupied with the new headphones and now appeared to be attaching her mp3 player to the small white cord. Sliding the fuzzy cream colored earmuffs on, she pressed play and closed her eyes. Was the sound quality okay? He had not even considered testing them to make sure they actually worked; but, if they were broken, he had saved the receipt in case she hated them. Luckily her expression soon turned to one of pure joy and she hit the stop button. They seemed to be to her liking, thank heavens; if he screwed up this simple task then what would he do come bigger, more important, occasions? Of course everything would have been so much easier if she had merely told him what she wanted in the first place. But that was too simple and would take away all the fun of being stressed out. Life definitely was never easy. "It's very thoughtful, I promise to always wear them."

A clearly uncomfortable laugh escaped his lips. "Well only in the winter, it would be foolish to keep them on in the summer." The girl's smile quickly faded and she glanced back down into her tea. What exactly was she staring at in there, her own reflection? If that was the case then she had to know how troubled she looked and, therefore, how much it pained him to see her like this. Weren't people supposed to be happy on Christmas; peace on earth, goodwill to men, and all that junk? It just was not fair, she was such a wonderful person, why was she the unfortunate one? He would gladly take any pain she was feeling, really he would; but she never wanted to disclose any information regarding what he comically referred to as her 'secret life'. It was at the point where he just wanted to wrap her in his arms and keep the rest of the world away from the caring girl; but that was not possible, the world and all of its troubles would constantly be there making everything that much more difficult for her. "Ahh, it was meant to be a humorous comment. I apologize for not being exactly funny."

"No…it's not that." Of course it wasn't, but he could wish, right? "There's just so much going on right now; things that are far bigger than any of us." Just what did she know that he did not? It was maddening, he felt like yelling at her sometimes to tell him what was wrong. But that would accomplish nothing; losing one's temper was a great way to upset the other person and end up alone. Still, it was cruel that she was doing this to him. Didn't she know just how much it pained him to see her so unhappy? Seeing her smile was often the highlight of his day, but now he was lucky to get a clearly forced laugh. Did she think he would not be able to handle whatever the problem was? In that case it would have to be something truly terrible, right? But, if it was, that was all the more reason that she should tell him so that he could be there for her and try to assist on ending the problem. Did any of that even make sense? The boy was at the point where he just did not know anymore. "I just don't know what to do." And, apparently, she was too.

This was all terribly confusing, but she needed support right now. At least, that's what the leadership books he read always said. He was supposed to 'support and praise for a job well done'; but how could he apply that to this situation? Sure he could support her well enough, and god only knew she had enough things for him to praise, but he needed to find something that would fit the situation at hand. It would mean nothing if he went on a rant about how wonderful, beautiful, and charismatic she was. However, it was quite hard to think of something that would fit the conditions when he still had no idea what was bothering her. So, since the details were vague, his response would be vague; but, hopefully, she could work with that. And, if not, he lost nothing in trying. Never-the-less he prayed that it would be able to help her at least a little bit' to let her know that he would always be there to support her. "I know you're facing a difficult task…" Reaching across the table he took her shaking hands in his and looked into her eyes to make sure she was paying attention to him and not the repulsive tea. "But, I truly believe that you can overcome any obstacle."

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry for the delay, it's mid-term seasssson so that means fun-filled hours of studying in the library. I'll try to be quicker next time.

FrizFroz- We're actually doing simple derivatives, I'm just terrible at it Dx The fact that our teacher is Russian and can't really speak or understand English is just an added bonus.

Cielle- Does she go with him during the film festival? I could have sworn that was at a later date, sorry, my bad.

STG- Sweet, I'll totally look for it online; otherwise I'll have to wait until I go home for Thanksgiving break to get it.

**Next Chapter:** How It Feels! It's not a blow off, honestly; it's a promise for the future. With junior year drawing to a close the coal haired boy decides that it is time for a much needed talk. After all, she was the one who brought about this resolution.


	8. How It Feels

**A/N:** On a side note my mother gave me those headphones for Christmas last year. They're warm and very useful, especially when it gets super cold xD I'm glad you guys seem to like them; heads up, not advertising or anything because I don't get paid for this nonsense, but they're like fifteen bucks at Khols. I think they came in black and brown as well. DISCALIMER: I DO NOT OWN ATLUS OR ANY CHARACTERS OR THIS TOTALLY AWESOME SONG FROM A VERY POTTER SEQUEL.

* * *

_This must be how it feels  
to have a home_

_-AVPS_

"And then Yukari and I went shopping…" As the girl trailed on with her story, which seemed to be taking forever to tell, Hidetoshi could not help but smile sadly. It was their last day of junior year, and this would be the last time he would walk into school with her until next year. Sure there was graduation day tomorrow; but he just had sort of an odd feeling that they would not be able to do this again. However, Minako seemed upbeat as always, and was positively absorbed in her own tale. It was wonderful, really, like when he first met her. Ever since early February she had been especially perky; of course maybe that was just due to the lack of such emotions in December and January. Hell, January had been the worst; often he would find her afterschool, just staring at the wall and attempting to fight back tears. Whatever was bothering her she refused to talk about; but, luckily, it all seemed to have cleared up. In fact, if he even mentioned that strange time the sangria haired girl simply acted as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Oh well, maybe that was just her way of coping with the stress.

Once, in mid-March, he brought up the subject of her nightly travels. It had been a while since he last pestered her on the subject, though his struggle with the concept of her being out at all hours constantly plagued his mind. There was no good reason for a high school girl to be out so late; not even if she had Junpei with her. Not that Hidetoshi lacked faith in the boy's ability to protect her or anything… oh wait, that was exactly it. Never-the-less, when he confronted her on the subject, Minako seemed just as confused, if not more so, than he did and flat out denied ever leaving the dorm past midnight. Well that was just great, he waited too long and now he would never know the answer to that mystery; damn it all, how positively infuriating. Still, he was not about to complain seeing as how she never came to school with unexplained cuts or bruises these days. Also, she seemed very well rested; and her health was the most important thing after all. So he figured that he could be content with not knowing so long as she remained safe. That was really all he could hope to ask for.

"But Fuuka is getting better, I swear. The cake she made us the other night was actually pretty good." He had noticed a while ago that her friend Aigis just sort of disappeared from the stories; but he still saw her in school, so perhaps they had a falling out? Part of him wanted to inquire further as to this matter, considering they seemed so close not too long ago. But that was prying just for the sake of knowing; if they really did have a fight then it would only stir up bad memories within the scarlet eyed girl. How painful it had to be to lose a friend; not that he knew first-hand or anything, but he could imagine that it must be quite hard. How could you ever attempt to forget someone who had such a profound impact on your life? Anyways, the class president, Mitsuru, had also seemed to have fallen off the girl's wavelength. Sure they still talked at Student Council sometimes, but the bond that they seemed to have had in the spring of last year was gone. This was probably due to mutual distancing though, considering the redhead would be going off to college soon. "Hide-chan? Are you even listening?"

Raising his eyes from the ground to meet a puzzled expression he merely nodded. "Of course I was. You went shopping with Yukari, Fuuka became a wonderful chef, and they all lived happily ever after." His sarcasm landed him a quick punch in the forearm. Oh, right, like it was his fault that he had more important thoughts than what the teal haired girl was baking; speaking of teal hair, did she dye it that color? Clearly it was not a natural shade. But she seemed like such a quiet girl; surely she was not doing to rebel. So then, why such a bright color, which clearly was going to stand out in a crowd, as opposed to black or brown? Ah well, he would never understand some people; but hey, you couldn't win 'em all. "Oi, Minako-kun." He began as they approached the doorway where, unfortunately, they would have to split up. "Meet me in the foyer. I have something I want to discuss with you." She looked a bit perplexed but readily agreed; to be honest, part of him was hoping she would refuse. Not that he had given her any reason to, but what he was planning on telling her was more than a tad embarrassing.

He had always wanted to own a large corporation someday, details such as what the business would do were minor; but, since he had been thinking more lately that had all changed. The coal haired boy had merely wanted that sort of structure so that he could create a sort of family environment within it and could not be less interested with the actual business itself. He did not care whether they were suppliers, distributors, manufacturers, did shipping, tax returns, whatever; it was just the front for wanting to lead by example. And, as of late, he had discovered an easier and less time consuming way to go about that. Whereas it would take years, maybe even decades, to get to that high of a position in an already existing corporation this new idea could be put into action as soon as he graduated from college. Sure it was not working with adults, but he was going to be starting at the roots. It was far easier to change a system from the bottom up than from the top down. How peculiar, he had spent all his life with this dream and was now changing it on a whim. It just went to show that thinking was a dangerous pastime.

So this was to be the last time he would ever sit in this desk, right? Many a decision had been made here; granted, they were not always the best, but never-the-less they had helped shape who he was today. For example, he now knew to check twice; yup before just assuming that the eraser in a boy's hand is a lighter, significant life lesson right there. Actually he had learned the importance of rest and how nothing was ever exactly as it seemed. The little crown in the margin of his notebook had been sketched, traced, erased, and inked so many times that it was about to fall out of the page, so he let it. The empty hole was much more fitting anyways. A true leader should not want the crown, not want the recognition; rather, they should strive to make a difference in the hearts and minds of others. Glory was nothing compared to knowing you brought around a change for the better. At the end of the day he would know that he did the right thing; and, as he had learned over the course of the past year, that was what was really important.

"Hey man, we're almost seniors… can you believe it?" Was it lunchtime already? Glancing up at the clock he noted that it was, indeed, time for Keisuke to annoy him. Where had the first two periods gone; it was incredible how fast time flew by when you were dreading the end of the day. But he had a point, they were almost seniors. In fact, being the most elite group of upperclassmen was so close he could almost touch it. "Yup, next year we're going to rule the school." That was for sure; though he was not quite sure exactly what sort of privileges came with being a senior. Probably just a bigger workload, come to think of it, but there was no use in crushing his friend's spirit. A loud and exaggerate sigh escaped the brunette's pursed lips; had he come to the same realization about the additional homework? "Too bad only you got the fairytale love story." Nope, just more idiotic ramblings; why did he put up with this? Glaring daggers at the boy he merely shook his head slowly, pent-up aggression building to the point where Hidetoshi would not have been surprised if, one of these days, he did actually strangle his best friend. "Kidding, why are you always so serious?"

"It's better than being a fool." The coal haired boy snapped, then proceeded to wave off the remark. There was no point in fighting now; it was their last real day together as juniors, so he would let the comment slide. "So…any ideas about where you might apply to?" True they still had a year ahead of them before college but sending in applications it was a pressing matter. Keisuke had always been the type to wait until the last minute before doing projects, and then just throw something together the night before; but, hopefully, he could understand the seriousness in this task. Without a good essay it would be nearly impossible to get into a good school; and then how would he ever hope of becoming a doctor? "I'm thinking something local." He admitted a bit sheepishly. Normally this was the time teenagers decided that they wanted to break free from their former lives and try someplace new. But not him, the desire to travel simply was not there; besides, he was content with the way things were around here, and his long-term goal would work better if he stayed closer to Port Island anyway. "I've never been the type for adventure."

Taking a bite of his sandwich the boy seemed to ponder this idea. Please say let him say that he had put at least some effort into contemplating what he was going to do with his life for the next four to five years. "I'm thinking exactly the opposite, Hide-chan." Oh really? He was itching to undertake a journey into the unknown? Pffft, Hidetoshi would give it two weeks before he changed his mind and decided to go someplace nearby where he could just commute. At least the disciplinarian knew that he wanted to stay in a dorm, but the nearsighted boy would probably have more fun staying home and skipping class. It was not that he was a troublemaker, mind you, or that he couldn't be bothered with class; it was just that he was terribly indecisive. "I want to get out and try new things, see the world a bit before I'm stuck in a hospital all day staring at the same whitewash walls for hours upon hours." The boy clicked his tongue thoughtfully, as if chewing over his options. Surely he knew that, if he did study abroad, there would be a very slim chance of him ever coming home; he'd wait and see how long this idea lasted. "I'm considering America, or England; that way I can speak the language."

At this Hidetoshi nearly choked on his tea. "Speak the language?" He exclaimed, though it was a bit louder than he intended due to his pipes trying to grasp some air as well. "You've been failing that class since they started teaching it to us in seventh grade." The idea was completely ludicrous. What was he going to do if he went to an English speaking nation; all he knew were very basic communication skills. Sure he would be able to introduce himself, state the colors, and count to ten, but where would that possibly come in handy in a school environment? He was going off to college, a place where they would expect him to read multiple books and write lengthy papers; did he expect to live with a translator in his hand? If he wanted to explore why not stick to somewhere in Asia where, at least, there was the chance of running into someone else who spoke the same language? Besides, what was so grand about America, didn't they all speak slowly with that strange accent or something? And England; goodness, if Keisuke came back saying things like 'bloody 'ell' he would have to disown the boy.

"I know enough." His friend muttered, swiping a piece of sushi out of the coal haired boy's bento. "So where's the little lady?" He inquired after inspecting the classroom for any sign of red. "Not spending your second to last lunch break of junior year with her?" No, why would he do that? They normally ended their week by having lunch together, but this was not a Saturday so it would break the schedule. Besides, they still had an entire year of lunches ahead of them, what would be the harm of missing today's? "What a pity, hope you don't regret it later on." He raised a questioning brow at the boy, who had gone back to eating Hidetoshi's lunch. What did he mean by that? What was there to possibly regret about not having the last lunch of junior year with someone? Maybe next year he would have those feelings if they skipped out on having their last lunch of senior year together, but junior year really was nothing special. When it came right down to it he doubted he would even recall these days in years to come; it honestly was not that important of a time.

But where was the girl today? She had mentioned it earlier, somewhere in the jumble of a story she had been trying to explain on their way into school, but he could not exactly recall. Perhaps he did need to start listening to her more. Rubbing the bridge of his nose the boy searched his memory for some hint as to what she was doing. "Oh, that's right." He piped up after a moment, drawing forth a confused look from Keisuke. "I think she said that she was hanging out with Yukari and Junpei; those three seem to be nearly inseparable as of late." It was true, they were always together; in the halls, on the way to and from school, hanging out after class, it was not a stretch to say that the disciplinarian was a tad jealous. However, as long as he still got to spend time with her it was fine; besides, it would be selfish to try to keep such a person all to himself. "But I'm seeing her later today, so you can relax." Right, he was going to have to talk to her about his new idea. Ugh, he had almost forgotten too; maybe he should just send her a text calling it off right now, before he embarrassed himself permanently.

"What are you guys going to do about college?" Pardon, what exactly was he implying here? They were not a couple; there were no ties that said they should look into similar places. But still, it would be nice to be able to see her after high school ended. Oh well, even if they did not go to exactly the same place he could probably still visit her from time to time. "Is she looking to study abroad?" Unless, of course, she selected that option. To be quite honest he had absolutely no idea of what the girl intended to do with her life after their time at Gekkoukan ended. She was so bright, one of the top in their class, so she had to be planning to go to college. However, what if she did decide to go to school in another country, or someplace that he could not follow, it was a terrible idea. Though there was no use in worrying himself with it now. There was still so much time before they had to decide whether or not to part ways. So he could relax for a bit; besides, part of him also felt like, if she really wanted to go abroad, it would not be hard to convince him to accompany her.

Nonchalantly taking a sip of his drink the coal haired boy merely shrugged. "Who knows? First we have to make it through senior year, remember?" His friend always had been one for jumping the gun on those types of matters. "Besides, it's not like we're technically going out; she can do whatever she wants." But, even if they were, would that stop her from moving halfway around the world in order to continue her education? There were far too many kids looking into that nonsense; what, pray tell, was so alluring about going to school in another country where the language and customs were so very different from their own? Not only did it seem like a waste of time but, if the person planned on coming back home afterward, all it would do was give them a new viewpoint that, within a year of returning, would be lost again. However, maybe it was not so terrible; perhaps he was only slightly bitter due to the fact that, if she did go, she would meet foreign boys…and girls were into that sort of thing, right? They once had an exchange student from France or something and all the female students broke into a fit of uncontrollable giggles and squeals whenever he spoke in class, it was disgusting.

"Yeah well when you two end up going to the same college, get an apartment together, get married, have kids, and live happily ever after just know two things." Keisuke really lacked a filter, didn't he? As his friend held up two fingers the egotistical boy contemplated the consequences of just getting up and leaving. Unfortunately that would only prompt the boy to either follow him and continue to nag, or yell whatever he was going to say across the classroom. Neither option sounded that good, so he decided to merely tune out the stupid remarks that were to follow. "One, I totally called it." Averting his eyes the boy tried to make it clear that he was not paying attention, but that did not stop the curly haired brunette. "And two, it's all thanks to me." As indifferent as Hidetoshi wanted to be to his friend's words there was some truth in them; it would be all thanks to Keisuke. However that was not going to happen, really now, life did not work that way. What were the odds of a high school couple staying together through college, not too high, and they weren't even a couple. The odds continued to decrease as they moved past college; and how many people really married their high school sweetheart? Not that they were that terrible word, he was merely thinking in term of hypothetical situations.

Giving his friend a sharp jab on the arm he signaled that the topic of conversation was something he really did not want to discuss. "Oh just shut up and eat your lunch." This, of course, meant 'just try not to speak too much about topics I don't like and fine; you may continue to eat my food'. However that was dreadfully long, and made the entire situation seem far less serious. Though, maybe that was alright; maybe, just this once, he could make time to relax and joke with his friend. After all, it was basically their last day of junior year; wasn't this the time to have fun? "Maybe next year we'll be in the same class… that would be nice." The coal haired boy said thoughtfully. Having Minako in the same class as him would be a wonderful motivation to work even harder. He could not let the scarlet eyed girl get ahead of him, and a bit of healthy rivalry never hurt anyone. Besides, she could also keep him in line; make sure that he did not get too out of hand when sleep deprived. It would work out best for everyone, really it would.

"I know, right!" The curly haired boy agreed eagerly, head bobbing up and down with enthusiasm. "We could pass notes and share stories during class; just like old times." Oh goodness, did he have to bring up their time in middle school? Truthfully it was more than a tad embarrassing; the way they bought into gossip and kept tabs on who had a crush on whom. Sure most everyone went through such a phase, but he despised reminiscing about that period. Thankfully not many people recalled him ever acting like that, a blessing of going to a private high school. Most of the locals who went to public elementary and middle school stayed in that system to finish their education; but, luckily, his and Keisuke's parents had wanted a more monitored learning environment for their children. A finger snapped in front of his face and Hidetoshi instantly jolted to attention. "I have to stop joking around you, it's such a waste." Pardon? He had a wonderful sense of humor when the situation called for it; or, at least, that's what Minako and his mother said. "But yeah, it would be nice. We haven't been in the same class since freshmen year."

Deciding it would be best not to shatter his friend's idea that he had, in fact, meant that the two of them should be in the same class. Hidetoshi switched the subject. "Hey, Keisuke, what made you want to be my friend?" Sure it sounded a bit foolish once he said it out loud, but the boy was genuinely interested in the glasses wearing boy's reasoning. He was a bland person and, although Keisuke was a tad annoying, he could definitely have found a better person to pal around with. Heck, he could even have found a group of friends if he wanted; so why be satisfied with one less than extraordinary person? Actually, scratch that, the coal haired boy was extraordinary; it was just the rest of the world that was not ready for his supreme level of excellence. Yes, that sounded about right. But still, his friend probably could have chosen better way back when. "God knows I was never nice to you; I'm still not." All he did was put him down, disagree, or scold him for being so immature. Wouldn't it make more sense for the brunette to find someone more similar with whom he could laugh about simple things and eat cookies? The only time they laughed was when one of them made a sly remark about a fellow student or something; together they could be quite awful.

The question did not seem to take the boy by surprise however; perhaps he had been expecting this for a while now? A small smirk made its way onto Keisuke's lips and Hidetoshi instantly regretted the decision to inquire as to his friend's motives. "You just don't get it, do you?" If he said something along the lines of 'this has all been a joke and/or social experiment' he was going to need a new pair of glasses. Not to mention that the dark eyed boy would officially know for sure that his best friend was a sociopath; something he had always secretly considered. He laughed at the most inappropriate conversation, went from being extremely awkward to calm in a matter of seconds, and had a sarcastic sense of humor to match his own. It really was a possibility; okay, so it was more of a loosely based theory, but that wasn't really important. "You're a hard person to get to know, I'll give you that; but you're worth it I suppose." Worth it? As terribly cliché and lifetime movie as it sounded there was something pleasant in the phrase that caused the stern faced boy to crack a smile. "This is too serious a topic, come on. It's our second to last day of junior year, let's enjoy it."

"You're right. We should make the most of it." He agreed with a small nod. But it was strange, wasn't he supposed to feel happy or excited on such a joyous occasion? Inside he was certainly on edge about something; perhaps it had to do with what he was going to tell Minako? No, that couldn't be it. As much as he feared being embarrassed he doubted that she would hold anything against him. So what if she thought it was a terrible idea, he figured she would support him no matter what. So, then, what was this nauseous feeling in the pit of his stomach? Surely it had something to do with the sangria haired girl for, whenever he thought about her, the pain came on twice as strong. For some unknown reason he would suddenly feel an overwhelming need to be by her side, but it always passed after a minute or two; however, in the past week, the feels had been coming more and more frequently and lasted for a longer period each time. It was as though something dreadful was going to happen; but that was positively ridiculous, they both were doing well in their classes and what other worries were there for a high school student?

After lunch ended, and Keisuke made his long-winded speech about the bonds of friendship or something that Hideotshi had not interest in listening to, the day returned to normal. You could hardly tell that it was their second to last day! That was sarcastic of course; his classmates were all speaking out of turn, chewing gum, filing their nails, carving their names into their desks, or ripping pages out of their textbooks to use as airplanes. It was ridiculous; this was a school not a zoo. However, when in Rome… with much disdain for what he was doing the authoritative boy pushed his seat back a bit, placed his feet up on the desk, and cracked open the copy of _The Merchant of Venice_ he had brought exactly for situations like this. It was perfect, a short read that gave him pleasure each time he flipped through the old pages. It seemed like each time he explored this particular piece of literature he caught a pun or reference that had previously eluded him; how many books could that be said for? Beside him some girls screamed loudly about the newest vampire book; that craze was something he would never be able to understand, even Minako could not explain to him just what it was about the rat like man with a unibrow that made girls fall in love….at least, it WAS Bram Stoker's _Dracula_ that they were talking about, right?

In front of him the long haired girl leaned in to whisper to her friend; nothing surprising there, those two were always gossiping. He tried his best to just ignore them though; they never spoke about anything really important anyways. "Hey, remember this past winter when all those people had that apathy syndrome?" This perked his interest however and, for once, he wished they would speak a bit louder. No one had brought up that dark time in quite a while, but he still had so many questions about it. Everything was left unanswered as well; one day it seemed like the world was coming to an end and, the next, everyone was perfectly content with life again, it made no sense. The city returned to normal and no one ever questioned why, or how, that change had come about. It was beyond annoying that he seemed to be the only one who had a problem with the quick revert back to the way it had been over a year ago. There was a gigantic amount of time where people seemed to be spiraling downward into a pit of despair, why was he the only one who couldn't believe that they could just comeback from that in a single day?

At one point he thought that, perhaps, Minako was suffering from it, or at least something similar. She refused to speak to him about anything more than topics you would discuss with a total stranger, merely moved her food around at lunch, broke all the plans they made, and constantly looked as though she was about to cry. The transformation back to her usual self took a tad longer than the others, but soon she could not even recall being depressed. As lost and confused as he was the boy figured it might have something to do with the injuries that she used to come in with and being seen out late at night. Nut what was she doing, and why wouldn't she tell him? A soft sigh escaped his lips as the bell to dismiss them rang; it was no use fretting over that now, she was fine and that was what was important. Gathering up his notebooks and pencils from the inside of his desk the coal haired boy felt almost sad to be parting with the place that he had made so many life altering decisions. But he would do the same thing next year; it wasn't as if this was the end of the world or something.

After grabbing his jacket from his locker, it seemed easier to just bring everything home now rather than waiting until after the ceremony tomorrow, the boy headed towards where he had asked her to meet him. It seemed this was it, their final talk as juniors. They had plans for after the speeches tomorrow, but then they would technically be seniors. The year really had flown by; if everything went this fast he was going to be an adult in the blink of an eye, marvelous. Out of the corner of his eye he caught a hint of red blurred together with a mass of pink and blue. There she was, waving good bye to Fuuka and Yukari as they headed for the door. Oh he really hoped she didn't want to go with them, then he would feel somewhat bad for ruining there, what did she call it, girl time. As she strolled over, a bright smile on her face, he could not help but wonder exactly what went through her mind. Sure she said she did not remember anything, but shad to, right? Deep down even the most repressed memories were still there; some things you could never forget, no matter how hard you tried.

Fiddling with the string around his neck the boy offered a small nod. "Hello, Minako-kun." She returned the welcome with one of her own and it appeared it was time to get the show on the road. "…I'm glad I caught you here." Of course he did, he asked her to come. Ugh, he seriously needed to think before he spoke. "There's something I wanted to tell you." Because she certainly couldn't have figured that part out by herself; god, what was he doing? "We'll still be able to talk to each other next year, but…" That wouldn't be the time for it; he needed to say it now. "I wanted to say this while we're still both on the Student Council." This brought a confused look from the girl. Oh, certainly she did not think he was insinuating that she would not receive a position next year. "…I'm going to quit the council." He clarified, averting his gaze a bit for fear of what he might see. "I'm just not going to apply next year." He did not want her to think that he was a quitter or something; but there were more important things he could be doing with his time. "That cigarette business gave me a lot to think about…"

It took all the bravery he could muster to glance back at the girl; was she disappointed in him, amused by the fact that he simply could not make a complete sentence today? Nope, by now she was staring at him like he had three heads, wonderful. Part of him wanted to say 'just kidding' and laugh the entire thing off. Sure she would be a tad confused at first but, knowing Minako, she would just smile and laugh with him. That was one his favorite things about the girl, she was always a real joy to be around. This was something that had to be said though; he had made up his mind so there was no going back now. Besides, it was not like he was proposing or anything; merely sharing with her some details of how he intended to spend his time in the not so distant future. "…This may sound odd, but do you think this country is headed in the right direction?" He inquired suddenly. It may not have been directly related to his previous statement, but he was going somewhere with this thought process. If she just gave him a chance to explain it would certainly all make sense.

The bright eyed girl bit her lip a bit, as if unsure whether or not he was looking for a specific answer. For once, however, he was not. She could give her honest opinion and he would listen; besides, he already had an idea of what she might say. People always saw the world quite differently than the Odagiri boy, but it was not their fault. He was just more intuitive and sensible than most, they could not be blamed for their ignorance as to what was right in front of them. Gesturing onward with his hand he urged the girl forward. All she had to do was answer the question with her viewpoint; it was not as though he was going to snap at her if she gave the wrong answer. "I think so." The voice was shaky at first but, after a moment of contemplating what it was she just said, the girl gave an affirmative nod. It was almost funny how he knew that was what she was going to say, even when he thought the opposite. But, perhaps, he secretly wanted her to say that; this way he would be allowed to explain his actions fully, and he always did like correcting poor, misguided, people.

"I see… Well, I feel differently." It wasn't harsh the way he said it; just light, almost breezy. With an almost carefree smile he merely shrugged. "You're an optimistic woman, so maybe society looks different through your eyes." What did the world look like through Minako's eyes? She was such a cheerful person all the time; but, surely, even she had to pick up on some of the evils of the world. It certainly was not all rainbows and sugarplums. "Around January, there was a sinister cult growing in popularity." But he didn't need to tell her about that, she had lived it. As much as she denied having ever been depressed he could vividly recall conversations where she only spoke of the cult and its effect on people. " 'A society without a future'… For many people out there, that's the reality." How many people would never make anything of themselves because of this twisted ideology? Belief in that Nyx character was an easy way out; a reason to not have to deal with the struggles of life. "I was thinking how we could change that… what it would take to change society." Nothing major such as holding a political position or anything, no, he would start small, where it really mattered. "I thought maybe one influential person could start a revolution."

At the word revolution her eyes flickered a bit, perhaps she thought that he was going to go back into his quest for power? "But starting a revolution just because you have the power to do it creates more problems…" He attempted to specify. The coal haired boy did not want to see his name in shining lights or anything, just knowing the world had changed for the better was enough; Minako had showed him that, even if he could not quite put his finger on exactly how she had done so. "That's what the Nyxist incident taught me. I realized how naïve I had been…" Nyxist, was that even a word? No, probably not. But, then again, neither was Nyx; well, it was a name, but certainly not a boy's. Everyone always referred to Nyx as though it was a he but, according to Greek mythology, wasn't Nyx a primordial goddess of the night? "Now, I think the best thing for society is more education." If people had a deeper insight to life than maybe they would be less likely to join up with an 'end of the world' campaign. "Things that each of us have to learn before going out into the world…" Pausing a bit, he cleared his throat loudly before continuing on. "That's what's needed most. So…"

With an uncomfortable smile he shrugged his shoulders and averted his gaze to stare at the ceiling tiles. They certainly could use a cleaning; now that he thought about it, had he ever seen anyone cleaning them? Surely it would seem irrational to clean the ceiling on a daily basis but, by now, it had grown to be more than a tad dingy. "I'm thinking of becoming a teacher." It came out smoothly, though his eyes never returned to her. "A society is dictated by its people. If we improve people's minds, society will be likewise improved." It was a simple enough concept to grasp, surely she would understand. The only one who it might take some explaining to would be Keisuke; and that could only be accomplished after he was done cracking up. However, all he heard now was silence. Actually, that was a lie, there was some screaming down the hall and students were laughing everywhere, it was the conclusion of their last day, they had the right to be excited. But, what he meant, was that Minako was silent; and there was no indication as to whether or not that was a good sign. "…Aren't you going to laugh at me? Say something like 'You? A teacher?' "

There was still no response. Perhaps she had left after the teacher comment; he was a bit hesitant to glance down. So, fingers tugging lightly on the hem of his sleeve, the boy decided to inwardly count to ten before looking back where the sangria haired girl had been. If she did not answer within that time frame there was a pretty good chance she had already one home. However it wouldn't really matter anyway; sure he had wanted her support in this decision, but he was going to go through with this idea regardless. Ten, nine, eight, seven; something brushed up against his opposite arm and, although it was entirely six seconds to early, he decided to peek at what was happening. So, keeping his chin high, the boy merely cast his eyes down for a second before quickly returning them to the ceiling. Beside him the girl was staring intently at the ceiling too, brow wrinkling in concentration and it was hard to suppress a small laugh. "These tiles need to be cleaned." At that he gave in and chuckled. It was like she always knew exactly what to say without saying it; how terribly unfair that she was blessed with so many desirable qualities.

So she was alright with the idea, good; if she had a problem with it he might have to question just how intelligent the girl really was. "I see… I'll do my best." A small hand slipped into his and he did not have to look at the girl to know she was smiling up at him. "…" The egotistical boy certainly was lucky, ha, it was ironic considering, at one point, he would have thought that she was the lucky one. "…I just wanted to thank you for that." It was taking some time, but he was slowly starting to become a better person. "It's all because of you. Thanks…" After some self-reflection, actually almost a year's worth, it was finally starting to dawn on him how terribly he had treated people due to his superiority complex. "And…" He had said it before, of course he could say it again. "…" Or not. Weren't these things supposed to get easier as time went by? "I'm not taking back the things I said. I don't regret them, either…" In fact telling Minako had been one of the most rewarding, yet stressful, accomplishments of his young life. "You haven't forgotten, have you? That I'm in love with you." The ceiling really did need to be scrubbed, or perhaps waxed, before the start of the new year. Imagine what incoming freshman would think if they walked into the building on the first day and saw this disgrace. "Tell me what you think when I become more worthy of you." He wasn't perfect now, but that was alright. He knew that, one day, he would become the sort of person that could make her proud. "I hope that day comes before you forget about me." The only problem was how long was this goal going to take to achieve? "…That's all. I'll see you later." To be honest he was far too embarrassed to stick around so, wriggling his hand out of her grasp, the boy headed towards the door.

"No leaving!" The voice echoed through the foyer and he whipped around in shock. Was she crazy? Why not just scream a tad louder, perhaps someone at the far end of second floor hadn't heard. Motioning for her to keep her voice down, they were still in a school, he walked swiftly back. A few people exiting the lobby had begun to stare, but his less than friendly glare quickly sent them hurrying out to the start of their vacation. Ugh, this girl was going to be the death of him. A small pout ruined the girl's mature exterior and he instantly regretted walking away; he was in for it now. She only pouted when she was upset about something… and that something usually was his fault and resulted in a headache due to her 'you should know why I'm upset' attitude. But it seemed as though he was going to be lucky today, for she had opened her mouth and seemed ready to rant, spectacular. It was much better than having to contemplate what he did wrong for the rest of the day. "You're worthy now, you always have been. Only you can't see that you are and it's so frustrating!"

Wrong, he wasn't worthy yet. There were still so many faults, so many goals he was yet to achieve. Besides, only he could decide when he was the man he wanted to be. No outside opinion would ever change the way he saw himself. That was just ridiculous; besides, wasn't she the girl saying not to judge people by their appearances? Well, maybe he appeared to be worthy, but, deep down, he wasn't. It was as simple as that. When the time came they would both realize it; he would be so much better than before. But, right now, he was not perfect yet, and anything less than that was completely unacceptable. So he refuses to make any further advancements towards the scarlet eyed girl, despite the protest clearly written on her face. "No. It's not the right time yet." Hidetoshi insisted, trying his best to mask the annoyance in his voice. She always had to go down this path; things were fine the way they were, why couldn't she just leave it that way? There was no need to rush things; they had an eternity to sort everything out. He wasn't going anywhere but, as of late, she had become increasingly desperate for things to move quicker.

As he reached a hand out to comfort the girl she quickly drew back. "You just don't really like me…" What was the matter with her? Didn't he just say that he loved her, emphasis on the word just? Girls were supposed to like that thing but goodness, it really seemed to have set her off on an emotional roller-coaster; something had to be up, she was usually more composed than this. Hell, she was always more composed than this. Under normal circumstances she would have been fine with him saying that he needed a bit longer to improve himself, rather than taking it as a blow off. Really now, who broke up with someone by telling that person that they loved them? This could not be interpreted, even under the influence of something, as an 'it's not you, it's me' situation. What had gone on during class, she was acting like a completely different person. The look on her face was positively pitiful as well, almost as though the world were ending. But the cult had been dispersed ages ago, and she had been fine since then, so what was this? Unless… repressed memories, he knew she couldn't keep them hidden forever.

"That's not it Minako and you know it's not so stop this." She was acting ridiculous and he was not going to stand for it. Honestly, how could she expect him to respect her if she acted like a head case when he told her his true feelings? Still, as the girl's eyes dropped down to her feet, he could not help but feel a bit guilty for scolding her. She was upset and, although he might very well have had nothing to do with the actual reason, she needed an outlet. It was selfish for him to want her to keep it all bottled up. Before she looked down he had caught something in her eyes that was almost nauseating. The fire and determination that had once been so profound was now masked by shock and fear. Whatever she remembered must have been, of course, why would she have tried so hard to forget it if it was no big deal? Not to mention that people tried to hold on to good memories so to want to completely erase it from her subconscious it must have been something terrible. Refusing to meet his gaze the girl moved to her tiptoes and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

With a small nod she pulled away and held out her hand, fingers curled into a fist minus the pinky. "Well…then you better not forget." A light sigh escaped his lips as he locked fingers in a childish pinky promise. If that was what she was relying on for stability then the girl was going to encounter some problems later in life. Thankfully his word was a much stronger bond, and he vowed never to forget her. What a terribly morbid though, the furthest they were ever going to be was a phone call or email away; it was not like in the old days where you would have to write letters back and forth and hope that nothing got lost in the mail. As they released he could swear that there were tears in her eyes but, before he could call her on it, the girl hurried out the front door and down the stairs. Oh hell no, she was definitely crying and god knows he wouldn't be able to get any rest tonight if he just let her leave like that. Rushing out the door he went to call for her just in time to see the clumsy girl miss the second to last step. So, scratch what he said before; she would be the death of him and herself.

Reaching out he grabbed the girl's forearm and steadied her. "I certainly hope this isn't going to become a habit of yours." It was meant as a joke but Minako didn't seem to enjoy it. "See? I can be funny." He added, trying to help her find the humor in it. Come on, he rarely attempted to be comical when it was not a social satire of sorts. Releasing the girl's arm he moved up to her face and pushed the sides of her cheek up into a grin. "Haha?" This drew the desired response for a characteristic bubbly laugh soon melted away the awkwardness between them. Whatever was bothering her she could tell him; no matter what it was, he would never even consider judging her. And, if it was truly horrible, maybe he could help, or contact someone who could. But, alas, she always wanted to deal with everything herself; she really did need a fairy godmother or something similar. Someone who could come to her in times of need, or through dreams, and help her out, let her know how important and special she really was. So she wouldn't listen to him but, perhaps, she would listen to some mystical form of guidance. That was the way fairy tales went, right? All you had to do was go a bit further into the woods and the way would be clear… maybe?

Pushing the boy lightly on the shoulder she offered up a cheerful smile. "Maybe I just like to see if you'll catch me." Oh as if, they both knew she was one of the clumsiest people in the entire school. How many times had she been carrying her books down the hallway only for them to mysteriously end up scattered all over the floor with papers flying everywhere? Not to mention that, although she had to do most of the cookie for Fuuka, the girl never allowed Minako near the actual supplies until the flour had been poured and all the eggs cracked. But all that managed to do was add to her charm; it made her more realistic, and easier to relate to, than some stoic character with a depressing disposition. Offering his arm out the girl instantly linked hers around it and they headed down the final steps together. Strange, he was getting that feeling again; just like when they entered this morning. They still had another day, not to mention an entire year, of doing this, so why was he worrying? Perhaps he was simply nervous at the thought of becoming a senior, how ironic seeing as how he always wanted to be older and seen as more mature.

Normally he only walked with her as far as the gate; from there she turned right to the train station and he would go left to the residential district. But, for some unknown reason, his arm refused to let go of the girl and he soon found himself standing at the station with her. A booming voice announced over the speakers that her train would be arriving within the next few moments and he took that as his cue to leave. He couldn't very well follow her back to the dorm to make sure she stayed out of harm's way. Besides, she only needed to call and he would gladly rush to her side. Trains were safe enough, millions of people rode them every day, he was just being paranoid. As the girl said her goodbyes he instinctively stuck out his pinky finger and, although unsure of what he was going to say next, the girl gladly linked it with her own. Really now, what if he made her promise to join a suicide cult or something, she had to hear all the details before agreeing to something. Oh god, now he was starting to take the pinky swear thing seriously, how foolish. "I'll always catch you."

* * *

**A/N: **Wow I finally updated? It must be a sign of the apocalypse. I've had this open for like two months and just never touched it, sorry. There really is no excuse for being so slow but, if there was, it might involve a computer's hard drive dying and a calculus teacher who can't speak English. Also had to throw in a billionaire, legally blonde, and into the woods reference… sorry, I just have a problem with musicals.

annako- Omigod EVERYONE ships her with either Shinji or Aki and it drives me crazy. It's like, I ADORED Shinji in p3, but not so much in p3p. It was like they were trying super hard to make sure every girl would want to fall in love with him rather than have the audience respect him for being a badass. Also no I would not mind at all so long as you link me! I'm terribly ungifted when it comes to any form of art so I'm wicked impressed by those who have a knack for it.

kryuzei- not to worry, I would never get discouraged. I write for my own personal enjoyment and understand that the pairing does not have that big of a fan base. Anyways I will finish this because I am determined to prove to my friend that I can actually finish something for once in my life, haha. Well I'll try to build up some drama, but I'm more a fan of humorous irony; so my apologizes if anything comes across fluffy as opposed to deep.

Fervour- ahhhhhh it fits perfectly with the last chapter! Why isn't it in English Dx I think my heart died a little at my inability to read whatever that isssssss.

StG- haha well the only interaction that I could remember the two had in P3P was on the class trip when Hidetoshi scolded him for eating all the cookies sooo I went with it lol

**Next Chapter: **So Alone! There were so many things he didn't understand; but this was not one of them. As the sun set on another spring day his smile faded with it.


	9. So Alone

**A/N: **Okay, serious question; you know the auditorium in the cutscenes? Yeah, well where on earth is that located? I ran around the school like twice looking for it and am still drawing blanks as to where it's actually located. Theories? Haha kidding, but it is something to wonder about. DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ATLUS OR ANY CHARACTERS OR THIS TOTALLY AWESOME SONG FROM A VERY POTTER SEQUEL.

* * *

_I've finally made it  
I've hoped and I've waited  
and for the first time in my life, I don't feel so alone_

_-AVPS_

"I'm going now." Slipping on his shoes Hidetoshi made for the door quickly before his mother took the opportunity to get all sentimental again. As of late she had been all teary eyed about him growing up; and the clinginess was most unbecoming, so he was doing his best to avoid her. Besides, the tears weren't for him; they were due to the woman realizing that she was getting old. Oh thank god he had thought that rather than said it out loud; age was always a very sensitive subject around the short, unbelievably perky, woman. Really now, one would think that she still thought of herself as the same person she was in high school. But, now that she had a child who was going to be graduating in a year, that illusion was shattered. However he could not help but be curious as to how she was justifying his existence for all these years. He had been a teenager for a while now; was he just some random boarder that lived in one of the upstairs bedrooms? Oh well, she could do whatever she so pleased, he was not too concerned with the woman's mental breakdown, she was going to have to face reality at some point.

Bag slung over his shoulder and hand in his pants pocket the boy tried hard to smile at the people passing by. It had been noted, on multiple occasions, that he often walked with a scowl on his face and that was not exactly the way he wanted to present himself to the world. But, perhaps, awkward smiles were worse for a few people stared at him uncomfortably. So, with an annoyed sigh he returned to his grumpy frown. Screw those people; they weren't worth smiling at anyways. Let's see them prove themselves first, then he would respect them enough to waste time trying to look pleased to see them. Besides, it was not as though they smiled at him every day. Well, the couple who owned the bookstore always did, but they were a separate case. Besides, it did not take a genius to know that he, therefore, had to stop and say hello when they did so. And, although it was convenient, he did not have a real problem with asking them about their morning and wishing them a nice day. It was not as though he could not spare the three minutes tops; so what if it sometimes caused him to run a bit behind schedule, Minako would do the same thing if she had to walk by them. Hell, she would probably take them out for tea to talk and end up coming late; but he wasn't quite that considerate.

Maiko, the shrine seemed far duller without her. He had not seen her in months; perhaps her parents really had gotten that divorce and she was forced to move. That would be awful, having your parents spilt up at such a young age; he wouldn't wish such a fate on anyone. Not to mention that she was so upset at the very thought of them terminating their marriage, how was she taking this? The pigtail sporting girl had seemed like the dramatic, and emotional, type; oh how he hoped she had not done anything drastic. But, even if she had, he was almost certain that there would have been someone to come to her aid or stop her. That was the strange thing about life. You were always surprised by the people that let you down but, likewise, you were often surprised by those who lifted you up. At least that was what he read on a greeting card once; he wasn't that sure how accurate a portrayal of real life it was. Still, he had been disappointed by the man he was supposed to look up to admire, and a little puppy, though he really needed to stop thinking about her like that, had somehow changed him for the better. Ha, what a joke.

As the coal haired boy headed through the gates he noted that the sangria haired girl was nowhere to be seen. That was strange, was she running late? Checking his cellphone Hidetoshi noted that, somehow, he was the late one; three minutes and twenty seven seconds late to be precise. Still, she normally waited no matter how late he was running; especially now that the weather was warm again. Oh well, she probably just got caught up in all the excitement; it was her first last-day at Gekkoukan, so it was understandable. Yes, she probably just went in with Junpei and Yukari and, once she realized that she had forgotten to wait, it was too late to bother going back out. That made perfect sense; she was far too clever to completely forget their schedule altogether. Schedules were the things dreams were made of; well, not really, but they were definitely wonderful. One always knew what was going to happen and, because of that, could anticipate the other's actions and respond appropriately. It was far better than playing things by ear. As previously stated he despised surprises, be they good or bad. Even if something horrible was going to happen he would still want to know in advance so he could get everything out of the way first.

As he walked through the doors to the school a smiling brunette seemed to come out of nowhere and nearly gave him a heart attack. "Yo!" Ugh, what a terribly annoying way to start the day. Not that he minded Keisuke's sudden interception, but he hated that one word greeting. What was it, some shortened form of the word you? It was only three letters, why bother shortening it? Not to mention that it seemed terribly rude to greet someone by saying 'you', it showed a complete lack of respect for their name. However, after ages of calling him Hide-chan, the boy doubted his friend had any respect left for his name anyways. It was a pity too; Hidetoshi used to be so proud of how sophisticated and suave it sounded. "You just missed the girl, she headed upstairs with Blondie. I thought you said they weren't friends anymore." Wait, she was with Aigis? Of course, she was the only blonde girl in the entire school; hell, he hadn't actually seen another natural blonde before so she sort of stuck out in a crowd. Not to mention that she walked a bit stiffly and had an 'intimidating aura' as the girl who sat next to him put it. Still, he didn't think they were; but it was good that they had resolved whatever issues they might have had. They were so close during January; it was horrible to see such a close friendship be so abruptly ended.

He merely shrugged his shoulders in response. There was no way that he could be expected to know every little detail about her social life the moment it happened. Give it an hour thought and everything was fair game; she was always more than willing to talk, unfortunately he could never even dream of retaining all that mindless friendship garbage. He respected her for trying so hard, but it was like she was trying to obtain the deepest level of friendship with everyone she came in contact with; was that even healthy? "We should give them some time alone together." The brunette boy seemed hesitant though; as though there was something else he wanted to say but could not being himself to do it. If he was going to make some comment judging Hidetoshi's choices or actions he was seriously going to punch the boy in the face. He seemed to have a problem with everything the two of them did, but only voiced his complaints to the one who had to listen. It was ridiculous, what was he, the head of their couple's therapy or something? "Or do you want to go stalk them and make us late for the closing ceremony?" That got him going and they were soon filing in with the rest of the school.

The auditorium was broken into three main section with a ridiculous number of rows of chairs in each. Honestly, were there even this many students in the school? How many classrooms were there; surely not enough to fill up anything larger than the gym? But hey, if they wanted to make a spectacle of a speech from the girl whose father paid for the school then fine, whatever, who was he to call them out on these things? Not that he was insinuating that Mitsuru did not know how to give a speech, on the contrary, she was very inspiring to listen to. Yet he could not help but wonder if she would still be up there talking if she had a different last name. As the mob of people dispersed to different sections he nodded towards the back left corner. Keisuke always had trouble sitting still, and of course they were going to end up talking through it, so it was probably best to avoid sitting close to anyone who might want to actually listen. As predicted, the moment the girl opened her lips, the brunette began talking. "Oh maaaan we're almost seniors. Seriously, Hide-chan, today is going to change everything."

A proud, not too arrogant, smile flickered across the boy's lips as he ran a hand through his slicked back hair. "You know, I've been thinking the same exact thing." They were going to be superior to the rest of the school and nothing anyone said or did could change that. There was a certain prestige that came with being a senior; and he planned to make sure he tried his hardest, and did his best, every single day. The time to plan for the future was today. If he wanted to make a difference then he would have to push his limits now. Beside him Keisuke looked so excited, so ambitious, but was that what this feeling, bubbling in his lower ribcage once more, was? He knew everything was bound to change… however he was not sure it was for the better. Sure the school status part was wonderful, and it would be great to work towards a real cause now, but there was still something he felt as though he was missing. Whatever, his friend was slightly wrong; sure some things were going to change, but what really mattered would always stay the same. It just had to.

xx

"This is so boring." Keisuke whispered after she had been talking for about a half hour. True it was terribly dull, right now Mitsuru was explaining the importance of more values and having your own code of ethics; but the brunette clearly was not listening. After a few minutes he had broken out his cellphone and now appeared to be consumed with a never ending game of Tetris. Was there even a way to win that? As far as he knew you just kept adding blocks until you reached the top so, even if you could find a way to make all the pieces fit together, wouldn't you still loose in the end? All that work just to fail; it sounded terrible. What sort of masochistic person would want to play a game like that? Sure you might get really involved in it, but it still brought nothing but grief. Not that he really minded his friend's choice in games; but the constant clicking was becoming more than slightly annoying. Their conversation had died long so so now all he heard was a mix of a boring lecture and the incessant 'tak' sound. If it continued for much longer there was a very good chance that Hidetoshi was going to smash the blasted phone.

A drawn out sigh escaped his pursed lips as he glanced at the clock. "Only two more hours and we can go home." Two more hours, what on earth were they going to do? Surely her speech could not go on much longer. And the principal; well all he was good for was summarizing what she said and calling it his own, so that couldn't take too long. All in all they would probably be left with an hour and fifteen minutes remaining; what would they be expected to do then? With no one left to talk it would make sense if they dismissed them early but, of course, they would not be let off that easily. Last time this happened the teachers had to resort to 'reflection circles' where the classes had to break off into small groups and, as the title suggested, reflect upon what had occurred over the course of the year. If that was not a waste of time the disciplinarian didn't know what was. All that happened was the girls used it to bitch one another out in front of everyone, claiming how everything was fine until so and so did this and so and so kissed who, how annoying.

Closing the phone and placing it back in his pocket Keisuke gave him a thumbs up. What, did he beat it or something? God damn, he wanted to see how such a task was accomplished! At this rate he was going to have to go home and google it. What a stupid term 'google it'; a few years ago you would have been seen as crazy if you said it to someone, yet now it was just another part of everyday conversation. "Yeah, wanna do something after?" Ehh, they had just hung out two days ago and, although he really did enjoy hanging out with the boy, he sort of wanted to start the break with Minako. However she was probably preoccupied with catching up with Aigis now, so maybe it was best to just leave her be this afternoon. It was fine, they needed time to resolve their issues; he knew she would do the same if he and Keisuke were ever in a similar position. "I was thinking a movie or something." It had begun to dawn on him as of late that there really was nothing much to do in Port Island or Iwatodai City; what a dull world they lived in.

"Sure." He replied nonchalantly, drawing forth a questioning look from the glasses wearing boy. "I've actually started to enjoy them." But that was only if he could find some real world value in the plot concept; otherwise he still viewed films as rubbish that would only further to promote ignorance in the general public. "Besides, I know how you won't take me to see anything terrible." The words came out threatening; but he intended them to. If it was another nature documentary on penguins he was going to wring the boy's neck. Goodness, he had a lot of pent-up aggression, perhaps he needed to seek a new outlet for all of this. Normally he just threw himself into his studies but, now that finals were over, he really had nothing to do but sit back and pick at the flaws of others. Maybe he should take up that Tetris game; kidding of course, he would be far too enraged by the fact that, in winning, you actually lost. There had to be a clear line between a good ending and a bad, otherwise it was not worth his time. Perhaps he could try a sport; no, that would never work, he was far too intelligent to spend all his time with people like Kaz.

Crossing his arms over his chest the boy muttered something to himself that, probably, was unkind and directed at Hidetoshi. As he raised an eyebrow however the boy quickly straightened up and waved his hands in front of his face. "I just said 'fine, way to take all the fun out of going', jeez." Hm, perhaps he should have thought about perusing a law career, he did seem to have the ability to make people talk…that was the phrase, right? Or was it sing? He felt like it had something to do with singing and canaries, but that seemed highly illogical. When would a bird ever be on trial; who had heard of something so ridiculous? No matter, he had chosen a more down to earth profession and was not about to go changing his mind now. Besides, it could be useful if a student was ever accused of cheating in his class. "Well, what do you want to see?" That was a good question; what was playing? He was not fond of any of the normal genres but, depending on the circumstance, he could be persuaded into going to an adventure movie. It needed to have historical evidence to back it up though with some action mixed in and, of course, minimal romantic scenes. Those always ruined a movie; no exceptions.

So what would he like to see? "You not wearing that hideous plaid shirt for starters." Every single time they went to the movies he wore that awful flannel; honestly, they lived in the city, what sort of statement was he trying to make? Not to mention the god-awful belt buckle that just screamed 'I'm too busy playing computer games to get a girlfriend'. He thought about his comment though, then re-worded it to seem less cruel. "Well, I suppose you can wear it if you don't button it all the way and un-tuck it from your pants. Honestly now." Sure he was not that big into fashion, and never knew the latest styles or trends, but that was definitely not an outfit Keisuke should be wearing out. Not to mention that he liked to dress at least somewhat nice and that only caused them to look strange when they went out together. It was like he intentionally had to dress down when he went out with his friend and that took a good deal more effort than he was willing to put forth into selecting an outfit. He grabbed a shirt, pants, and a jacket; that was it, nothing more should ever be expected of him.

This comment actually caused his friend to frown, discontent clearly written on his face. "You're relentless." But, after a moment of Hidetoshi not backing down, he sighed. "I guess we could go to the mall then. Maybe there you'll find something I can wear without you being embarrassed to be seen in public with me." Exchanging grins the two boys broke into a laugh that caused them to get the finger on the lips hush signal from the girl two rows ahead. Obviously they were the reason she could not pay attention to the speech and it had nothing to do with the phone in her hands. Really now, if she was going to try to scold them for causing a disturbance she should have at least put that thing away first. Or, better yet, she could have set it to silent before this whole thing even began. He heard it vibrate every thirty seconds; what was it with that vibration notification anyways? The phone was in her hand, all she had to do was look down every few minutes to see if she had a message waiting, was that signal really necessary? "But seriously man, what's wrong with my shirt? Green, blue, and red go pretty well together."

With another chuckle, this time louder just to spite that girl, he leaned back in his seat. "Whatever you say Keisuke, whatever you say." He was fortunate to have a friend who also took pleasure in mocking those who brought attention to themselves for, as he tried to actually listen to what was being said, the boy next to him was rolling up tiny pieces of paper and chucking them at Ms. Cellphone's head. The only thing that would have made the situation better was if Keisuke could actually aim. Of course, he was doing about as good as could be expected of one who never participated in a single gym class. "Aim high, that way when it falls it might make it." He piped up; physics was not his strong point, but it was obvious that his friend needed to change his strategy if he ever wanted to hit more than the back of her chair. A few moments, and multiple attempts later, a small ball landed in the mess of hair she seemed to think passed as a suitable bun. Though they were too old to high-fives anymore the boys exchanged glances that did the action for them.

xx

An hour later the two boys had contemplated every method of suicide possible, and several that were quite impossible given the limits of gravity and shortcomings in time-travel technology. It was when they finally decided upon finding a way to induce spontaneous combustion that Keisuke decided to bring up the fact that he was the only one who could be free from the tortuous lecture. Apparently the coal haired boy had a certain responsibility to be there for Minako or something, whatever, it wasn't like it was possible for them to do that in the middle of an assembly anyways. "Hey, where is the girl?" The brunette inquired after Hidetoshi tried to combat his reasoning with the fact that she had many friends who would eagerly look after her in his absence. But, indeed, he had noticed her absence as well. It was quite perplexing seeing as how there was absolutely no way that she would ever skip something so important. Eh, it wasn't all that important; but she would never miss something mandatory, it was below her to cut class. Heck, even Stu-Junpei, he was not good enough friends with the boy to use the nickname that Minako often referred to him by, was here.

As much as he hated texting in school, well that was a lie he didn't mind it all that much anymore but it felt wrong after he had just judged that girl for doing the same thing, the boy figured he needed to at least get in contact with her. "I'll text her, maybe she just got caught up talking to Aigis." Time always did have a way of getting ahead of her. It was almost like the girl didn't realize that there were only twenty-four hours in a day. But that was just the way she was, he could deal with her tiny fault when it came to being prompt; besides, he always arrived places five minutes in advance, so when you added them together it worked out in the long run. He wasn't going to demand that she completely ditch the blonde girl, but he was going to suggest that they both come before they missed something important. Oh who was he kidding, nothing important ever went down on the last day; and she had already missed listening to Mitsuru's speech. If anything that was what stuck him as really out of character; seeing as how they had been pretty close earlier in the year he would have expected to see the scarlet eyed girl down front and center.

"Ooooh texting during school" The Odagiri boy merely rolled his eyes, he just knew the brunette was going to make a similar comment. He just loved to push people's buttons. And, of course, by people he meant himself; there was no one else Keisuke annoyed more than him. Normally he would put the phone away and save the message until after class just to get back at him; but this time was different, this was for a good cause. So he just sent a brief text reminding her of the assembly and implying that it would be nice if the two girls actually showed up. But, after a few minutes passed with no response he began to feel a bit more anxious. What if they decided to take attendance after this was let out, then what? That would be an unnecessary mark on her permanent record. Not once since he knew her had she missed a day of class, even when she was run down; it was as if the option to just rest was not there. So, even though it broke the 'don't text twice within ten minutes because it looks desperate' rule he texted her again "Hide-chaaaaan's breaking the ruuuules."

Not bothering to glance up from the screen which, much to his displeasure appeared to have a small crack in the upper right corner, the boy scoffed at the sing-song remark. "Shut up, you text me all the time." Really, in the past week it had become almost a problem. He texted him all through the day, even if Hidetoshi stopped responding; it was clearly evident that the brunette's mind was on the break and not finals. In fact, he even considered having an intervention to let his friend know just how bad his obsession was becoming. It was almost to the level where a person who picked up his phone would suspect that it belonged to a pre-teen girl who had just got it and was insanely pumped to text anyone and everyone she ever talked to. He had a new system though of deciding whether or not he was going to read the message or delete it. If it had any acronyms, or did not end in some form of proper punctuation, he instantly hit delete. He had to draw the line somewhere; besides, he knew very well that if he read anything that he had to take time to interpret it would just increase his stress level and cause him to lash out.

After a few more moments he began to nervously tap the screen. Did he even get reception in here? "What no answer? That's unlike her. Aren't you two always so proud of your quick and efficient response time?" Exactly, why did his friend think he was so upset by this? Their efficiency had been brag worthy until now; and he would bring up this fact every time Keisuke missed his call or waited an hour or so before replying. Hell, he would even bring it up when the glasses wearing boy replied with a one word response…or worse, lol. But this was so out of character, why wasn't she getting back to him? If anything it was more important for her to respond quickly seeing as how it was her rule. As surprising as it seemed she was the one who suggested that they answer one another's messages as quickly as possible; her reasoning had something to do with your first instinct always being correct, but that was another theory he didn't really pay much attention to. Drat, now that he was looking back he really did not listen as much as he should. Wait, hadn't he decided to try to improve that skill yesterday; eh, he couldn't exactly remember.

The sinking feeling returned to his chest as he skimmed the audience one last time; now desperately looking for any hint of red or yellow, but there was nothing. Where were those two? The classrooms had to be locked, god knows his more rebellious classmates would try to justify their existence by vandalizing school property, so they could not be in any of those. Think, if he was Minako where would he go? Disneyland. Alas that wasn't an option considering she had entered the building, and they were nowhere near Florida, so he needed someplace more accessible. She was so happy all the time in school, but what was her favorite place? Oh, right, the roof, duh. She always wanted to eat up there and, after hanging out with Junpei one day after class, had found a new way to amuse herself by spitting over the side and watching it fall onto the cement below. Yeah, he still had to thank the cap wearing boy for that one. Leaning over to his friend, who was starting to prepare for round two of the paper war, he motioned towards the door. "I'm going to go get them. I'll be right back."

Slipping out the back door he could not help but feel a tad cooler than he did mere seconds before. Sure it was not an epic escape, and he was going to be right back, but he was still breaking the rules by leaving without permission. Yeah, that was totally hardcore; kidding, he knew his limits and, no matter how hard he tried, the studious boy would never be anything close to that. As he hurried up the stairs it dawned on the coal haired boy that the door to the roof would probably be locked by now. They usually chained it up and sealed that off with an over the top steel lock; yes, because apparently students who were going to break into the school in the summer would see that and turn around. First off, if they wanted to break in bad enough chances were they were going to head towards the faculty office or the laboratory rather than the roof where they could be easily spotted by passersby. Second, if they really were so bent on breaking into Gekkoukan just to get to the roof that lock certainly wasn't going to do very much to stop them.

His second theory seemed to be proven correct as he neared the door and saw the chains and lock discarded on the floor. Also, there appeared to be a few small circular holes in the door. At first he wanted to say they looked like bullet holes, but it was a school so that was out of the question; perhaps whoever had been putting the chains up accidentally set off their nail gun and hit the door? It seemed highly unlikely but hey, it was more probable than someone shooting at it. Pushing the door open sunlight instantly hit him, causing the boy to have to use his hand to shield his eyes. Stupid weather, couldn't it just make up its mind? It had been cloudy earlier with a forty percent chance of rain, what was this nonsense? At the far end of the roof he could just make out a single silhouette over the sun's intensity. Unfortunately it appeared that the person's hair was a golden color; not exactly what he was searching for, but maybe she knew where- red. As a cloud enveloped the sun he was finally able to see the wavy red locks spilling out over the blonde haired girl's lap. "Minako?"

xx

Frail frame leaning on his shoulder for support Hidetoshi tried to process what had just happened. At the sound of her voice the girl had sat up, with a great deal of help from her blonde friend, and motioned for him to come over. The greetings were brief, and the strange girl seemed hesitant to leave, but Minako finally managed to convince her that she was in good hands. Was she ill, she definitely did not appear to be well; but he could see no signs of an injury? The expression that Aigis gave him as she was leaving was enough to strike fear into the heart of even the bravest man; what, did she think he couldn't take care of her? As if to prove her wrong he inquired as to if, perhaps, they should, oh he didn't know, seek medical aid? Wasn't that the logical thing to do rather than sit on top of a roof? Just a though, what did he know, he was only one of the top students with a best friend whose family had a medical background; why listen to anything he said? But the girl's swift, and hauntingly quiet, response as she exited was enough to silence his internal commentary.

This was a bit much to take in at once. He was expecting to find them talking and laughing; at worst he might walk in on a fight or some other type of conflict, but he was not sure what exactly was going on. It was like everyone knew some awful secret, except him. Because, of course, why bother telling the guy who, on multiple occasions, has stated his love and adoration fir the one who looked as though they were about to fall apart at any moment. It was just so strange, she seemed fine yesterday. But that was always the way people said it happened; they were fine one day and the next… whoa, he was not even going to go down that path. He wasn't that over-dramatic, so she was overworked; it made sense, they did just have a week of finals. Perhaps she had always gone to public schools and this was her first experience of having to actually spend countless hours studying for a major exam. Yes, that was clearly the reason behind all of this. It had to be, what other challenges would a well-behaved teenage girl have to overcome?

A small cough shook the boy out of his thoughts and he glanced down at the girl who was gazing up at him. "You know… you're going to get in trouble if you stay out here." Her clearly forced smile was heartbreaking to say the least; but was really tearing him apart was this sense of confusion. He could help if only she would let him in! God how many times had he thought this or something similar? With a small wink the girl pressed onward with her quest to make the situation a bit lighter. "And I thought the great Hidetoshi Odagiri never broke the rules." She was trying so hard to be brave, anyone could tell that; but why? He wouldn't think any less of her if she broke down and cried; everyone had a right to do that when they were not feeling their best. Speaking of which, was she ill? He had thought that was the problem until her friend made that harsh comment. It was crazy, medical science could cure almost everything these days. So, then, what did Aigis mean when she said that there would be no point in seeking help for the fallen girl?

"Come on now." If she could be strong even under these circumstances, although he was still unsure exactly what sort of conditions she was facing, then he could be too. Tapping her playfully on the forehead he gave a cocky nod. "Even I can bend the rules a bit when the situation calls for it." This brought forth an actual, though short-lived, childish giggle from the girl that melted into a soft smile. She was so easy to please, thank goodness because he was terrible at amusing people. As he returned the smile his chest began to tighten. She looked terrible, not physically of course, she looked as lively as ever; but her eyes were void and bleak. "Minako I don't understand. What is it that's the matter?" If her stomach was upset he could get her ginger ale and saltines. Hell, he would even toss his ego aside and make her chicken noodle soup; and good soup, not that awful canned stuff his mother still managed to burn. But, if it was something more serious they really needed to get her to a hospital; he was not one to panic, but this certainly did not look good. However, he doubted what they would be able to do if she refused to disclose any actual information about what was ailing her.

The girl used what seemed to be her last bit of strength to wave the comment off. "Please don't make me explain." The words were slow, as if each one was a great task. So, as much as he was dying to know, he could not bring himself to ask her to speak anymore. If it pained her to talk then they could just sit in silence; his insides would only be tangled and mind imploding, but he could deal. With a hushed sigh he merely nodded. "Thank you." Why wouldn't she ever talk about anything involving her? She was so open with everything else, and knew everyone so well, but no one ever seemed to get past the surface layer with the sangria haired girl. It was the same question again, what was she doing? Or, now, what did she do? He knew she was involved in something; Junpei's comment and her sketchy behavior was proof enough for that, but he could not even begin to guess at what it might be. Why was she always keeping things from him; he could help, he knew he could, if only she would trust him with the details. There was nothing more frustrating than having a gigantic ego and being useless.

"You're…" Her face pleaded with him not to press the subject, so he held his tongue. "…trying to protect me from something." This drew a reaction for she looked away, a sure sign of guilt. So it was something bad; alright that narrowed it a bit. What, were they in a gang, or squad, or something? No that was ridiculous she was far too upbeat and cheerful for that sort of thing. Ha, imagine her being the lead of some undercover gang; that was rich. Had the situation not been so dire he would have laughed at the image. Just thinking about her standing in the lead, coattails blowing in the wind, and armband branding her was really quite funny. He would have to remember to tell her about it once she was feeling better; it would be sure to make her smile. "Although it pains me that you don't think I'm strong enough to handle it;" He needed to learn how to phrase things better, for she appeared dissatisfied with this explanation of her actions. He needed a quick recovery; what did girls like to hear? "Thank you. I know you only have the best of intentions." There, that normally worked.

The girl yawned lightly, moving the back of her hand in front of her lips as if trying to fight it. That was silly, if she was fatigued then she should rest, he would still be here when she woke up. It was not like he was going to take off the moment she closed her eyes and just abandon her on the roof, what sort of person did she take him for? "Tired from fighting evil by moonlight?" He inquired and the girl's eyes opened wide, like a deer caught in headlights. Had he upset her somehow; damn, and he thought he was being so clever too. "What, I was just kidding. Remember that time you told me you were secretly a hero?" It was a while back, after that movie incident with Kaz and what's her name. She had told him and then struck the pose of the famous nineties' cartoon icon. It appeared to be very funny at the time, for she nearly collapsed with laughter. He had found it a bit amusing, but not nearly that humorous; so he assumed maybe it had a double meaning, like she was obsessed with it as a child or something.

"Oh, right." Another, livelier, smile made its way onto her otherwise dim face. "I suppose you could say that." As she trailed off the boy could almost tell that he was no longer the person she was addressing. However, there was no one else there, so who on earth could she be talking to? Maybe she was talking to herself? But that seemed ridiculous, even if she was not feeling well; it took quite a fever to think that talking out loud to oneself in public was something that was accepted by the general public. Was she so ill that she was hallucinating? If that was the case maybe she was talking to her parents; the thought was enough to make his stomach turn. How awful; even if she was sick she could not go home and have a loving mother take care of her and nurse her back to health. Poor thing… she could borrow his mother; the woman would just adore serving some real motherly purpose, and she always did want a daughter. They would love each other; how could they not, they were so similar. "But the world is worth defending." Turning back to face him she offered a tired laugh.

Placing the back of his hand on the girl's forehead he attempted to figure out whether or not she had a fever. Keisuke had told him before that bangs could often give an incorrect reading seeing as how they kept that part of the head warm even when there was no problem with the individual. Unfortunately it was not even slightly warm. If anything it was a tad cool; but he doubted that was a sign of anything too awful. Yes, if she was extremely ill there would certainly be signs of a fever, or she would be pale, but she looked as radiant as ever. "You should sleep more." He stated firmly, removing his hand and using it to wag a finger at her; he assumed she would get a kick out of it, but no such luck. "The good news is that you don't seem to have a fever; but you certainly appear to be worn down." Rest would make everything better; she would be restored to her old self in new time. Of course, that must have been what Aigis meant; Minako just needed some rest and then she would be good as new. It made more sense now. Why call the paramedics when all she needed was some sleep?

"Mhm" It seemed like that was all the response he could expect to get; she didn't really seem to be listening anymore. Where was her mind right now? He often wondered what someone who seemed so carefree could worry about, nut especially. "I'm not going to gaze longingly at the sky though." It came out of the blue, and was quite irrelevant. She wasn't going to what? How did that have anything to do with getting some rest? Did she have to stare at the sky in order to fall asleep? He was not sure he followed where she was going with this. "That's terribly cliché, and I am far too original for that." She added with closed eyes and another weak smile. What on earth was she talking about? Oh well, at least she found herself funny. Normally he hated people who were like that; but this was a rare occasion, not like Keisuke who cracked himself up on a daily, hell on an hourly, basis. But everyone in a while was fine and, given the circumstances, he would endure it for hours if only it got her to laugh and act herself again. Her smile was so beautiful; it would be a shame to not see it.

"Well I happen to love staring dramatically into the distance as something life altering happens." He piped up, trying to get back in the conversation. Not to mention that her talking to herself was beginning to freak him out a bit. Not in a creepy was mind you, more of a 'what on earth is the matter with her', and not knowing the answer to that was inwardly killing him. What if something awful ended up happening to her while he just sat by and did nothing? Not to mention that he would be completely lost without her perky outlook on life; he knew the person he had been before they met, and he never wanted to become that person ever again. Thankfully his remark worked for bit, because she finally directed a smile at him, but she wasn't the same. Oh well, he just had to keep thinking about tomorrow. Actually, make that the day after. She would have to rest tomorrow, as well as the remainder of today, then they could begin to enjoy their break together. It would be wonderful to be able to do something earlier in the day rather than having to wait for school to get out of session, and they could even stay out late into the night because there was no homework to be done, papers to be written, or tests to study for.

Patting her hands, which had fallen limp in the girl's lap, he decided to change the conversation to something lighter, something she would enjoy. "Shall we discuss what you want to do this vacation?" The girl was silent, but he refused to accept that, so he merely kept talking. "We could take a trip to the country; some fresh air would be good for you. This city, just imagine how many toxins are in the air! Not to mention that we're on a man-made island, that's not very natural at all." Although the comment was not all the funny he laughed anyways. Minako, however, remained unresponsive except for a nod here and there. "And you know who I bet you would love to meet?" The got her to at least look at him with an inquiring expressing. "My mother. She's the most cheerful person you'll ever meet, and I can say that because you're you and, therefore, cannot meet yourself." The girl's mouth opened a bit in shock. She had asked about the woman once but. Out of embarrassment, he had firmly shot down any idea she had of them meeting. But now everything was different; if she wanted to meet the dramatic woman then fine, if she wanted to meet the emperor he'd find a way.

"That sounds lovely." The girl whispered before breaking into a coughing frenzy. Oh crap, what was he supposed to do? Were you supposed to tap someone on the back if they were coughing? No, that was for choking; or was it? Hadn't he read somewhere that hitting someone on the back when they were choking would only lodge the food deeper in their throat? Damn it, why couldn't he have paid more attention to the brunette when he went on about treatments and such. Maybe he should, oh, she stopped. Before he could think of what to do next, though going for help was on the top of the list, she slipped from his shoulder and fell forward a bit. Grabbing her shoulders he softly rested her down, head on his lap. It was an uncomfortable position to say the least, mainly because his other arm was now lodged under her wavy locks; but he had seen Aigis do it earlier, and girls had that maternal instinct, so it had to help somehow. "I'm sorry Hide-chan, but I'm a tad sleepy." The words came out strangely, as though she was already fading into a dreamlike trance. As he searched for any sign of real understanding on her face the girl's now bleak eyes began to flutter closed.

It felt as though a pebble had lodged itself in his throat. What was this? His vision was becoming distorted as well; perhaps he had caught whatever Minako had? That would be fine, he really wouldn't mind at all. As much as he had wished for her to sleep and get better this was not what he meant. This did not seem like any normal period of rest; not to mention that fact that her breathing was now softer and slower. "Napping during the day?" He inquired with a light laugh, though it was difficult to keep voice from cracking. This heart wrenching feeling, he was certain he had never felt it before. Not to mention that his cheeks and sinuses were burning up to an incomparable degree. But she had none of these symptoms so, then, what was he sick with? "You're so childish…but, children like stories right?" He could recall being told one or two in class; his mother never bothered with them after noting his displeasure at the thought of anything unrealistic. But the girls always seemed to enjoy them so long as they included a princess, prince, and everyone lived happily ever after. After a brief period, during which he assumed she was pondering the chances of him actually telling a good story, the girl nodded.

Perhaps she had faith in him, perhaps she figured she would try to get to sleep and a boring story would help; all that mattered was that he could now do something to make her happy. Unfortunately he did not know any classic stories, but hey, he could improvise. As she has said earlier he was the great Hidetoshi Odagiri, and after an introduction like that he could not disappoint. So alright; there had to be a princess, probably a king and queen, a prince, and a castle. Oh, and they all had to have a happy ending. He could work off that basic foundation. They would live in a peaceful land, where no war or strife existed, and go about their lives as intended. The more he thought about it the more the boy knew exactly what he was going to say. Of course there would have to be other characters along the way to make the story more believable, and a villain would have to learn his lesson; but he could squeeze that in somewhere. The key was to know your target audience and, although he may have not known everything about the scarlet eyes girl, he knew enough for this.

"Well, I'm no English major but…" He began, though of course she already knew that, he was in the class next door for chrissake; but it seemed only proper to give her fair warning that she should not expect too much of him or risk being disappointed when all was said and done. With any luck she'd like, with any luck it would be the greatest accomplishment of his entire life. Lightly playing with a loose lock of red he wondered where exactly would be a good starting place for this tale. Most epics began in medias res, did they not? Ah but she hated clichés; so he would spare her such a predictable plotline. It would start at the very beginning and last until the end of time, nothing would be left out. Besides, for some strange reason the boy felt as though he was going to have all the time he needed to tell it. Taking in a deep breathe he prepared himself both emotionally and physically for what might ensue. "Once upon a time…

* * *

**A/N: **Keisuke and Hidetoshi… bros for liiiiife. You have no idea how much I wanted to have them fist bump and down some nattys during this fic... hell, I still have a chapter left… Anyways, this quick update is brought to you by guilt and my second five hour energy bottle! Although I totally didn't start feeling this one until the third hour, so I feel like I was gipped; oh well. The label totally reads 'feel it in minutes' but I'm not about to call them out on it…well, I will on here, but I'm not going to write a complaint or anything. Sorry this is really random; I hope people aren't actually reading it. I should really stop and just upload this.

WipingAllOut- first off let me start by saying that I adore your penname, that song was definitely my old ringtone. It really is a rare paring and I hate that; I want to read something on it but I legit can't find any other stories except for frizfroz's who hasn't updated in forever and totally left me hanging haha like I'm allowed to complain after waiting two months to update, sarcasm. But thanks so much for your kind review. I really appreciate it.

Fervour- haha I forgot mine too! That is so epic. Are there others? I'm like the only one here and it makes me super sad because I prefer to read rather than write. As you can see this isn't the last chapter, sorry! Only one more though, pinky swear.

FrizFroz- Looks like time hasn't affected your flattery; thanks haha I don't see it as inspiring though…unless, of course, I'm inspiring people to write rather than study for finals and such :D

**The Final Chapter:** To Have a Home! The final chapter! With a resolve in his heart what fate awaits our young hero and his most precious friend?


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